Again, LAUTECH Students protest, Lock Down Osun Govt House Over Prolonged Closure Of Institution

Students of Ladoke Akintola University, (LAUTECH), on Thursday locked down Osun state Government House in continuation of their protest over prolonged closure of their school.

It would be recalled that the aggrieved students had on Wednesday barricaded the main road that leads to the heart of the state capital for more than two hours.

Very early on Thursday morning, the students again converged at the popular Olaiya junction in their large number before taking their protest to the state Secretariat, Abere.

The protest again caused heavy traffic and left many other road users on their ways to work stranded.

Some of the placards the students carried read “AREGBE IS A FAILURE”, “SAVE LAUTECH NOW”, “Stop Playing Politics With Our Lives, “Pay Our Lecturers, “Save Lautech, Save Our Future”, “Ogbeni Rauf Answer Our Calls”, “Aregbe You Are The Reason Why Jesus Wept”, “Lautech Must Arise Again”, “This Is Not The Change We Voted For”, Lautech Need Peace” among others.

The spokesperson of the students, Lawal Musbau, who said they staged the peaceful protest to show their displeasure against the current strike action in their institution, demanded the quick intervention of Governor Rauf Aregbesola to their plight.

The students said the varsity has been facing problems in the hand of political instability for many years which had caused many students and staff serious life deterioration.

They said that since the assumption of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state and his Oyo state counterpart, Governor Isiaka Ajimobi, led governments, the university has degraded in value, norms and standard and has also lost dignity amidst in comparison with other varsities, as a result of poor funding by the two states of Osun and Oyo.

The students further stressed that the strike has exposed the students to many social vices and has also turned workers of the institution to beggars.

“After 9 months strike embarked by the school unions, due to the delay of monthly subventions, the governors are yet to stay alive and active to their responsibilities as the funding fathers. And after spending 3 months in school, the ASUU and JAC are both on skeletal strike with their slogan of No Pay No Work due to renege of their promises”.

“This situation has stagnated every student in a spot since 2015 till now especially for spending two years for a semester”.

The entire students of L AUTECH have come together in solidarity to cry out to the governor for quick intervention because many atrocities ranging from students committing suicide, social vices and workers turning beggars amongst others has engulfed the citadel”.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Governor Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori’s efforts to address the students initially failed but was later made possible with the intervention of the commissioner of police in the state, Fimihan Adeoye, who prevailed on the students to allow her speak.

Mrs Laoye-Tomori while appealing to the students, assured them that efforts were being made to find a lasting solution to the lingering crisis between the two owner states of Oyo and Osun, and the striking lecturers.

She disclosed that a meeting will be held by house committees on educations of the two states and all concerns with a view to ending the strike.