Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has charged students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho to appeal to their striking lecturers to resume work.
He said the situation of LAUTECH has gotten to a stage where collective efforts are required to find a lasting solution to the frequent and protracted industrial action in the institution.
Aregbesola gave the charge while addressing a gathering at the get-together end of the year 2016 dinner party organised by the Progressives e-Group, at Leisure Spring Hotel, Osogbo.
Aregbesola who attributed some of the challenges facing the university to adverse effects of the current economic situation, called on the affected students to rise to the occasion through dialogues and consultations with the stakeholders and lecturers of the institution.
He said the present economic situation calls for patience, tolerance, perseverance and selfless sacrifice from all and sundry if truly the country was ready to end the menace soon.
Governor who regretted profusely, the situation that led to the strike, said it was not in good interest of the owner states to expose the institution to ridicule.
The university which is jointly owned and managed by the governments of Oyo and Osun states has been on strike since June, 2016 due to disagreements between the management and the owner states.
The development which led to several conflict of interests between and among various interest groups, calling for a repeal of the law that constituted the joint ownership of the university.
However, Governor Aregbesola said the two states have not been resting on their oars to avert the crisis in the interest of the people most especially the affected students who have been at home for six months.
According to him, the two owner states are extremely pained about the circumstances that led to industrial action in the jointly owned Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso.
He said efforts would continue to be made to permanently resolve the crisis by preventing the future recurrence of such situation.
“Let me make it clearly to the world that we are not happy with the lingering crisis at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology. We are pained that the economic circumstances that beyond our imagination led the two owner states and the entire country to the present situation.
“Obviously no reasonable government would be happy while its workers are discomfort or on strike just as it is a duty of any purposeful government to do everything humanly possible to manage its investments.
“But as it is, the burden foisted on us by the current economic recession had over the years made government at all levels to find it difficult in meeting up with their constitutional responsibilities not only to the workforce but to the people.
“It is not our joy to inflict pains on anyone whatsoever. It is not also our happiness to see our institution being on strike for months, but as we all known that the present economy had handicapped many states to do the needful as usual.
“We are very sensitive to the plights of those who are directly and indirectly affected in the institution, but our appeal is that, the present economy calls for mutual understanding, patience, perseverance and ultimate sacrifice from all.
“It is for this purpose that we implore our students to engage their lecturers in dialogue and urge them to reason along with financial challenges confronting the nation most especially Oyo and Osun governments.
“We are not derelicting from our statutory obligations as governments, but rather alternating possible means to rescue the states from the present socio-economic predicament”, he stressed.
Commending the members of e-Group for their extra-ordinary networking of government’s projects to the world, Aregbesola urged the group to further showcase the interventions of his administration at rural areas.
“As much as we appreciate the efforts of your group to the success of our administration, we equally enjoin you to penetrate difficult exists of the state by exhibiting our interventions to the whole world”, Aregbesola added.
Earlier, Coordinator of the group, Mr. Adebowale Alabi who described Governor Aregbesola as an epitome of good governance, said the group decided to support his administration based on his sterling leadership quality.
He therefore reaffirmed the group’s commitment to the development of the state, saying “we will do everything to defend and stand by the truth even if we stand alone”.
