Academic staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology LAUTECH branch has called on the government of Oyo and Osun state to stop hiding under the veneer of audit lies and pay workers salary arrears.
The union in a statement signed by its branch chairmnan, Dr Abiodun Olaniran and secretary Dr Toyin Abegunrin said “the attention of our Union has been drawn to a statement credited to the Osun state Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Mr Adelani Baderinwa where he said that the academics were preventing the audit of the accounts of the University”.
“Our Union is compelled to put the record straight, once again, on the persistence of the governments of Oyo and Osun states to continue pulling the wools over the people’s eyes regarding the true state of things in LAUTECH”.the statement reads.
” ASUU wishes to state for the umpteenth time, that it was not against probity and accountability. However, such important exercise, which is statutory must be carried out according to the edict that established the University.
“The body empowered to do such in the University is the Governing Council and not the visitors to the University. This position was also captured in the Wole Olanipekun-led visitation panel report. It is therefore worrisome that the owner states are hell-bent on foisting illegality on the University.”
“Our demand simply is that our members can no longer continue discharging their duties of teaching and research on empty stomach having been owed months of unpaid salaries (10 months) while the Governments continue to insist on not discharging their responsibilities to the University”.
“This realization must have made the Wole Olanipekun-led panel to recommend an immediate injection of 1.7 billion naira into the University as a condition precedent to the resumption of activities on campus. This was to be immediately followed by the release of another 1.7 billion latest by September, 2017. Auditing is then recommended to be carried out after activities have commenced on campus”.
ASUU demanded response on why are the two state government are keeping quiet over the financial matter while harping only on auditing? Why do they no longer have confidence in the panel set up by themselves such that they don’t want to honestly plays by the spirit of the recommendations? and why is the government bent on blackmailing our ASUU over this matter when they are aware of ASUU’s role
why dissociating itself from litigation on crisis in LAUTECH ASUU maintains that individuals and groups have fundamental rights, including seeking of redress in the court of law. So, the owner states have the choice to present their case since the matter is before the court of law saying’It is subjudice for government officials to be running commentaries on a matter before a court of competent jurisdiction.
