by Busari Azeezat

A parent whose child is 25 years is supposed to be at peace, after all, it is the blooming period of that child. The time to expand and reproduce. However, in the case where the child has been deprived of certain life teachings and brain nutrients, the parent would go bankrupt trying to right the wrongs such child would cause them.

Such is the case of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, a 25-year old institution which has refused to grow as expected. The institution has continued to disagree that she is no longer a kid who should be pardoned for thumb-sucking or any childish act.

A University of Technology managed by two states whose mantra “upholding the Awolowo’s legacy” never seem to run out, is suffering hiccups and starvation, enough to have caused the breakdown in the activities of the institution.

The case, later turned crisis, which presented itself as a tug of war between the managing states and the striking unions has now turned to into a wicked abandonment of the masses as not only the aforementioned parties are affected.

The students have not only suffered, parents and active participants of democracy have had their hopes dashed over and over again. The students did all they could – organized protests that caught the media’s attention, even a dialogue with the Senate President of the country, who, as expected, made promises that the matter would be resolved soon.

Yet, the owner states claim nothing would be done unless an audit report was submitted. Some even opined that accounts audit cannot happen unless the industrial action is called off. They (Owner states) even set up white paper and technical committees both of which had their reports submitted on how to save the institution without having to go through hiccups as it is now. One had even hoped after that after the reports, the dear 25-year old would be cured forever. However, the matter only ended with the report’s submission.

The state governments won’t give in and the unions, refuse to be the Yoruba proverbial donkey who would work incessantly without pay.

In a bid to kill the conflagration and save the grasses from the elephants at logger heads, a faction of the school’s alumni association started to ‘look for money’ to pay the lecturers. They had a target – to raise N1bn in 90 days. They started ‘begging’ around to save the dying university by all means. how sad!

Recently, the governing council announced that the school shall be reopened and that activities shall commence on the 25th of September, 2017, the announcer stated that the state governments had sorted out funds for six months of the salary owed. In swift response, the unionists claim that they weren’t aware of the resumption and that their strike subsits unless their prayers are answered.

Questions would then begin to fill a curious mind: was the proposed six months salary bailout supposed to buy us time before another strike action? What happens to the report arrived at by the visitation panel led by Wole Olanipekun(CFR), are there plans to implement these suggestions at all?

The case of neglect by the owner states cannot be overemphasized. Save the TetFUND, NEEDS assessment, the donated and inherited buildings, one cannot point to one project accomplished by these governors. Is the bailout another way to sweep the plans for sustainability of the institution under the carpet? Or abandon the institution completely? After all, the Oyo government has just fathered a new child, TechU and Uniosun has grown a great deal.

What power does the National Universities Commission have in times like this? Only to ‘regulate’ the activities of universities?

Have the NUC no power at all?

Dr Saraki’s meeting with the students’ representatives is still very fresh in our memories, his assurances are too. Are there no plans to fulfil them? The KPMG audit report and the technical committee’s report are there no plans to lay the actual stance of the university before the public?

If these issues are not well addressed, one may begin to wonder if the resumption announced by the governing council is worth the hype after all; and if we would not go back to where the issue all began.

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Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija—

Busari Azeezat is a student of Agricultural Engineering, LAUTECH.