Dipo Olowookere
By Dipo Olowookere
The governments of Osun and Oyo States have commenced external forensic audit of finances, staff strength and student population of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
Both states own the institution, which has always battled with different strike actions and closures lately.
Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology in Oyo State, Mr Adeniyi Olowofela, while receiving executives of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state on Saturday in Ibadan, explained that the move was to find a lasting solution to problems facing the school.
According to the Commissioner, a visitation panel led by Mr Wole Olanipekun, which was set up by the states to look into the crisis rocking the institution, had recommended a forensic audit after detecting 97 different bank accounts were being run in almost all the commercial banks in the country.
He noted that a total of N13.626 billion subventions, excluding Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), was released to the institution by Oyo and Osun State governments between 2011–2016.
Mr Olowofela pointed out that while Oyo released N8.5 billion, Osun contributed N5.2 billion.
“We are not too comfortable with the accounting process or procedure of the institution, that is the least we can say now.
“Part of the recommendations of the visitation panel was that the accounts of the school must be audited; not only the accounts but the work force too must also be audited such that we look at the best practices on how to run this particular institution. The bursary departments still rely on analogue mode of operation, with its attendant challenges and risks.
“When the government said you must have single account, in that visitation panel report, you have various accounts.
“If you have various accounts, you have not been accused of any financial difficulty, but we must know the truth so that at the end of the day, we will know whether something is wrong with the management, administration or the accounting process.
“The visitation panel observed that the university opened 97 different bank accounts in almost all the commercial banks in the country. Some of the banks have closed shop, due to restructuring, merger or outright de-listment by the Central Bank of Nigeria.”
“Also, the students’ population is as follows: undergraduate (regular) — 27,457, undergraduate (part time) — 1514, postgraduate (regular) — 2857, postgraduate (part-Time) 3054, Open Distance Learning (ODL) 655, giving a total of 35,507 students in LAUTECH.
“Why is it difficult for LAUTECH to survive, since institutions with less students’ population are surviving?” he queried.
“We must ascertain whether the government needs to jack up the subvention or whether government needs to remove the subvention completely. We must know so that we will be acting based on facts. But what are we observing now? People are raising emotions all over the place.
“We are getting closer to the solution than to the problem. If we have an enabling atmosphere such that the audit firm is able to do the job there, the two governments will comply with the recommendations.
“The audit firm must submit its report within the next three weeks. But it appears as if some people want to truncate the exercise. I am appealing to the workers to give peace a chance,” he begged.
