The NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed has confirmed the resolution of the crises between Oyo and Osun states over the ownership of the Ogbomosho-based Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH).
Rasheed said on Friday in Ibadan that both Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo and his Osun State counterpart, Gboyega Oyetola, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to seal the resolution of the crises, with Oyo State Government agreeing to take over the university’s property in Ogbomoso, while the Osun State Government would take full ownership of the university’s College of Health Sciences in Osogbo.
Former Oyo governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, in a statement he personally signed and made available to newsmen in Ibadan, described the final resolution of the ownership crisis between Oyo and Osun states as a welcome development.
Alao-Akala, who initiated the action for Oyo State to take full ownership of the institution while in office, commended the two governors for resolving the long impasse, saying: “I commend them for not allowing political interest or party affiliation destroy the unity and progress of Yoruba land.”
The former governor also thanked the governors for allowing reason to prevail and for putting the interest of the students, whose education has been in jeopardy for so long, into consideration.
He also commended the NUC for its role in the final settlement and eventual take-over of the institution, advising the Oyo State Government to immediately commence efforts to restore the glory of the institution as the foremost technology school in Nigeria, in line with the initial vision of its founding fathers.
