…approves 1.7m for 2nd phase of STEP agribusiness programme
In its effort to change the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, from a technology university to a conventional university, the Oyo State Government has approved a Bill titled 2022 LAUTECH Amendment Bill, to be forwarded to the Oyo State House of Assembly.
The Bill, which proposes to amend the objectives of the university to accommodate other fields of study and alter its present status as a strictly technology institution, as well as allow it to make provision for workers’ pension scheme, was approved at the Executive Council meeting held on Tuesday.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the state’s Attorney-General/Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo, stated these while briefing journalists shortly after the meeting.
According to the commissioner, the LAUTECH Amendment Bill, when passed into law, will enable the institution to offer courses in different fields of studies outside the field of technology, and also allow the establishment of more courses in Humanities, Law and other fields of studies.
He maintained that the amendment will also correct an omission by allowing the university to make provision for the establishment of a pension scheme for its staff, adding that the pension scheme is regulated now in line with state policy on pension.
He said: “We have a bill that has been proposed and approved by Exco, for onward transmission to the Oyo State House of Assembly, to amend the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso Law, to reflect the proposed change in the current status of the institution from a technical university to a conventional one.
“This is to enable the institution to offer courses in Humanities, Law and other fields for qualified candidates, as approved by National Universities Commission, NUC.
“So, the bill, in essence, seeks to amend the name of the university to Ladoke Akintola University (LAU) instead of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.
“It is also to amend the objectives of the university to accommodate other fields of study and alter its present status as a strictly technical university to a regular university, which will translate to having more campuses in humanities to carry some courses like Social Sciences, Law, Management, Education and other fields of studies in art and humanities.
“The Bill is also to encourage and promote scholarship and conduct of research in all fields of learning and human endeavours and also to correct an omission by allowing the university to make provision for the establishment of pension scheme for its staff; as you are all aware that the pension is regulated now by law consistent with state policy on pension.
“The university will also establish a pension scheme which will be the contributory pension scheme, which will eventually be under the pension reform law.
“In essence, this is what has been done to the LAUTECH amendment law and, specifically, the university is to be addressed as Ladoke Akintola University, aka, LAU.
“The law will be Ladoke Akintola University Amendment Law 2022 and that is what has been approved by Exco to be communicated to the Oyo State House of Assembly for debate, processing and passing.”
Also, the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, maintained that Governor Seyi Makinde, upon deliberations in the Exco, came up with L.A.U. and that the university should be addressed as L.A.U once the bill is passed into law.
In another development, Olatubosun stated that the Exco has approved the sum of 1.7 Million US Dollars for the second phase of the Start Them Early Programme (STEP), an initiative to encourage and redirect the aspirations of young secondary school children in the state to Agribusiness.
The programme is a collaboration between the Oyo State Government and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
He maintained that the approval is to cover 6 additional secondary schools across 6 Federal Constituencies not captured in the first batch of the programme, in which 6 secondary schools benefited.
He said: “Sequel to the successful implementation of the Start Them Early Programme, Step, in Oyo State, it has been further extended to another six schools across the regions in the state.
“The STEP programme is aimed at building the next generation in agribusiness by redirecting the aspirations of secondary school students towards career and business opportunities in modern agriculture, and changing the negative perception about agriculture being a cultural practice to a business venture, from which they can make a living.
“The Oyo State Executive Council approved for the second phase of the STEP programme a sum of $1.7m, and it is to be paid to the IITA for the second phase of the STEP programme.
“The programme will kick off in another six schools from federal constituencies, which were not captured in the first phase of the programme.”
Olatubosun explained that the money will be paid in three tranches, saying: “$680,000 for the first tranche on 1st February, 2022; the second tranche will be paid on 1st July, 2022 and it will be a payment of $578,000 while the third tranche will be paid in November 2022, and it will be $442,000.
“The three tranches make a sum of $1.7m. We believe we should spread the programme across the 14 federal constituencies in the state.”
The state’s Commissioner for Lands, Mr. Abdulrahman Abdulraheem, was also in attendance.
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