•Osun governor appoints Oyo indigene as Acting Vice-Chancellor
THE crisis rocking the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, jointly owned by the Oyo and Osun state governments deepened yesterday.
Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, dissolved the Governing Council of the university and appointed the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. J.O. Ojediran, as the Acting Vice-Chancellor.
But, Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State immediately declared that the action was illegal, null and void because Oyinlola does not have the power to dissolve the Council.
Alao-Akala, a retired police officer, has been fighting Oyinlola, a retired Brigadier-General, to take control of the institution.
Oyinlola said as the Visitor to the university, he has the power to dissolve the Council.
The Osun governor, in a letter dated July 26, 2010 and addressed to Alao-Akala, said it had become necessary to dissolve the Council because its term had expired while the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, was being made the Acting Vice-Chancellor, pending the appointment of a substantive Vice Chancellor expected to take office on October 1, 2010.
This, he said, was because the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Benjamin Adeleke, had been forced to proceed on his terminal leave by Alao-Akala. A new Governing Council, he added, would be constituted very soon to commence the process of appointing a substantive Vice-Chancellor for the institution.
While regretting that in the past few months, “undue friction has characterised the running and management of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, a patrimony jointly owned by Osun and Oyo State Governments, Oyinlola said the development “is traceable to the sudden, unjust and arbitrary decision of Oyo State Government to forcibly disengage Osun State from the joint ownership arrangement as spelt out by the Edict/Statutes setting up the University.”
Oyinlola appealed to Alao-Akala to join hands with him in restoring peace and legality to the university, stressing that “what we require at the moment is a deep search into the ways and means of effecting changes in the ownership structure of LAUTECH, without breeding bad blood and acrimony.”
“Let us reinforce the positive attitude of consensus building and mutual respect to foster better understanding and cooperation among ourselves, and the constituencies we represent. As rational creatures, we must be able to keep faith with mutual respect, upon which we establish norms for managing our differences. And on the part of Osun State Government, I assure you that we shall not deviate from the standards of respect, law, order and decorum required for the handling of the issue of LAUTECH.
“It is evidently a sad commentary that LAUTECH community now live in fear of the unknown following the very disturbing steps taken by the Oyo State Government which has not followed the Due Process in its attempt to forcibly disengage Osun State from the ownership structure of the University. “Your Excellency, will agree that the decision to terminate the ownership structure of the University by the Oyo State Government has evoked intense emotions within LAUTECH, as well as from a wide segment of the society, particularly in the two owner states,” Oyinlola said.
He added that it became imperative for him to inform Alao-Akala of the need for him (Oyinlola) to take some actions “under the discretionary powers allowed the Visitor to the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, to salvage the situation.
“May I point out that your Excellency has functioned as the Visitor to LAUTECH for the first six months of this year in accordance to the convention subscribed to by Osun and Oyo State Governments. Quite naturally, it becomes the turn of the Osun State Government to provide the Visitor to LAUTECH from 1st July, 2010 till 31st December, 2010, as equal partners in the ownership arrangement
“For LAUTECH’s journey to restoration and sanity to commence without further delay, may I notify your Excellency that I have taken the following steps to intervene in the affairs of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, in exercise of the power conferred on me as the current Visitor of LAUTECH. This is in consideration of the fact that at this moment in history, it is necessary for us, the proprietors of the University, to employ equity, fair play and justice in the administration of the university. As stated above, the following steps have become imperative:
•The immediate dissolution of the Governing Council of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho following the expiration of the term of the Governing Council on March 28, 2008. You may recall that the attention of the Governors of the two owner states was drawn to the expiration of the tenure by a letter Ref. No.: REG/CA/12 dated 18th March, 2010, signed by the Acting Registrar of LAUTECH. I have taken this decision in order for us not to continue to condone illegality by running an illegal University Council. The Governing Board of LAUTECH should ordinarily seize to function on 22nd March, 2008, its inaugural meeting having been held on 23rd March, 2004;
•The immediate appointment of Prof. J. O. Ojediran, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor 1, an Oyo State indigene, who should normally function as Vice-Chancellor in the absence of the incumbent, Prof. Babatunde Adeleke, whom your Excellency has directed to proceed on leave, preparatory to his concluding his tenure on 30th September, 2010. Prof. Ojediran is next to the Vice-Chancellor in the hierarchy of the University administration;
•Request your Excellency to forward to my office the names of Oyo State nominees into the new Council of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, to be constituted this month, July, 2010.
He urged Akala to take the letter as due notification of his office and good self, of the actions he had taken as the current Visitor of LAUTECH, “in the spirit of brotherliness and joint-ownership of LAUTECH by Osun and Oyo State Governments.”
“For us in Osun State, we have not drawn barriers to dialogue and compromise; neither have we locked out reason and statesmanship in our common resolve to protect a patrimony handed over to us by our worthy predecessors. I should let you know that my position and that of the Government of Osun State have been premised on the need to avoid a situation whereby the citizens of Osun and Oyo States would live in terrible mutual suspicion and perpetual fear,” Oyinlola stressed.
Meanwhile, Alao-Akala said yesterday that “Oyinlola has no power to dissolve the council”.
A statement signed by his Special Adviser on Public Communications, Prince Dotun Oyelade, reads:
“The premise upon which Governor Oyinlola made the pronouncement to dissolve the Governing Council of LAUTECH is fatally flawed because he is not the visitor.
“The visitorship of LAUTECH by the Act setting it up is not rotated on six monthly basis, rather, it is a yearly affair which translates to Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala as the Visitor till January 2011, since he assumed that position in January this year.
“Oyo State Government is mystified as to what could have been responsible for such outlandish and embarrassing statement and once again appeal for calm until this issue is amicably resolved”.
By Joshua Dada, Osogbo & Ademola Babalola, Ibadan
