Education
LAUTECH: A Win-Win Memorandum of Understanding
By Kayode Awojobi
Just like the popular saying goes, there is a time for everything under heaven. This is the current reality in the history of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH).
The history of the ownership of the institution is taking a new and radical turn. The ‘parents’ of the university, Oyo and Osun States, have decided to ‘divorce’ one another.
As we all know, the dual ownership of the university by the two states can be said to have caused more harm than good for the students. The brouhaha in the management of the institution has made the students of the university to waste unnecessary years while trying to pursue an undergraduate programme in the school.
The desire for academic excellence has been truncated by both the national unions and the local unions within the institution all pointing to the imbalance in the vested interest within the institution.
Recently, the Governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde, paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola. He stated that the division from the joint ownership of LAUTECH will meaningful progress to the school.
According to him, “the agreement reached by the two states is a win-win situation for the two states as there was no winner, neither was there vanquish. The agreement reached is mainly for the betterment of the institution and that of the students at large.
“The eventual ceding of the institution to Oyo State will not bring about the division of both states as predicted by some people; rather, it would unite the two states much more.
“As sister states, we have been together for a very long time and the issue of separation of ownership of LAUTECH will not bring division.”
On the part of Governor Oyetola, he commended the committee set up by the two states for a job well done and for coming at a resolution which will benefit the institution and the students at large.
In his words, “I believed that Oyo State will take the university to higher ground without any bias in performing her responsibilities to both students of the university and the entire staff from either of the States.”
He added that the agreement reached by both states was in the interest of all the stakeholders that have to do with LAUTECH in order to avoid the incessant crisis that become a recurring decimal in the history of the institution.
The two Governors equally commended the role of the National Universities Commission (NUC) for its support and cooperation towards finding a lasting solution to the issue of LAUTECH.
The committees from the two states were equally commended for a good job well done, working assiduously within a year putting the interest of the students and the workforce of LAUTECH at heart.
However, the institution should be very profitable considering the subvention from the states ab initio. Also, the school has a sizeable population of students much more than any thriving private university in Nigeria. The institution has been run by various administrators that have worked independently of the master plan of the institution.
It is believed that with the final takeover of Oyo State, the government will pay lots of attention to ensure that the university becomes a thing of pride to the state.
The ball is largely in the court of Oyo State, would LAUTECH return to her heydays when it brought great academic medals to the state? Time will tell.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund) has denied claims of mismanagement in disbursing student loan funds.
This development comes after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said it was investigating alleged corruption in the disbursement of the funds.
In a statement by the fund’s Director of Strategic Communications, Mr Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, NELFund said ICPC’s comment was taken out of context.
“These reports, which suggest misappropriation and mismanagement of funds, are entirely false, grossly irresponsible, and deeply damaging to the integrity of an institution established to deliver financial hope to millions of Nigerians,” Mr Oluwatuyi said.
“All institutional fees are paid directly to verified institutions, while upkeep allowances go into the verified bank accounts of eligible students,” she said.
“The reports circulating in the public space are based on outdated figures and previous interventions that predate our operations.”
Equally, the ICPC has clarified its earlier statement on the student loan.
The institution’s spokesman, Mr Demola Bakare, said the agency’s move to investigate the disbursement of the funds was due to claims that 51 schools were involved in illegal deductions and exploitation related to the NELFund scheme.
“The ICPC confirmed that a clear case of discrepancies has been established in the administration of the student loan scheme and announced that its investigation will now extend to beneficiary institutions and individual student recipients,” the agency’s statement partly read.
In an update, Mr Bakare clarified that: “Unintentionally, the word ‘NOT’ was missing in the second to the last paragraph of our earlier press release in respect of an ongoing investigation regarding the Student Loan Scheme. The missing word created an erroneous impression that the alleged discrepancies or diversion had been established.
“We admit that this is not the case, indeed, we accept that the same part of the sentence also contradicted the whole paragraph. The paragraph ought to read: ‘The ICPC confirmed that a clear case of discrepancies has NOT been established in the administration of the student loan scheme and announced that its investigation will now extend to beneficiary institutions and individual student recipients.’
“For avoidance of doubt, the commission has only established the total amount of funds received and disbursed so far by NELFUND. The impression of diversion and the issue of discrepancies do not exist at this stage; the investigation would have to move into the receiving institutions and persons before any reasonable deductions could be made.”
It was claimed that out of the N100 billion approved for disbursement, about N71.2 billion was unaccounted for, prompting an investigation by the ICPC.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has clarified that it has not affirmed claims that about N71.2 billion of the N100 billion disbursed as student loans under the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme were unaccounted for.
Recall that there were reports that no fewer than 51 tertiary institutions were implicated in illegal deductions and exploitation related to the NELFUND scheme.
The schools were accused of making unauthorized deductions ranging from N3,500 to N30,000 from each student’s institutional fees received through the loan fund.
The ICPC had commenced a probe into the matter and in a statement on Thursday, it said investigation revealed that the total money received by NELFUND as of March 19, 2024, was N203.8 billion, with N44.2 billion disbursed to 299 institutions, covering 293,178 students.
In the statement, ICPC said it “confirmed that a clear case of discrepancies has been established in the administration of the student loan scheme and announced that its investigation will now extend to beneficiary institutions and individual student recipients.”
Some hours later, after the revelations raised dust, the agency clarified that it made an error in the statement, noting that, “The paragraph ought to read The ICPC confirmed that a clear case of discrepancies has NOT been established in the administration of the student loan scheme and announced that its investigation will now extend to beneficiary institutions and individual student recipients.”
“The general public is urged to exercise patience as thorough investigations require time and ample resources,” the new statement signed by its spokesperson, Demola Bakare, said, stressing that, “Our investigations are still ongoing, and there are no indictments yet.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba, Lagos, has announced that its 2025 convocation ceremony would take place on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
According to the official schedule, the convocation lecture will hold on Monday, May 5, at 11 am at the Kesington Adebutu Media Resource Centre, located within the institute’s premises.
The main convocation ceremony is slated for Tuesday, May 6, also at 11 am, and will take place at the NIJ premises.
The convocation will cover graduating students from the classes of 2022 through 2024 across its National Diploma, Higher National Diploma, and Post Graduate Diploma programmes.
Business Post gathered that students who excelled during their academic pursuits at the monotechnic would be recognised and awarded for their feats.
Graduating students are expected to receive their certificates immediately after the convocation.
The event is expected to bring together the management, academic staff, students, alumni, and dignitaries from the media and communication sectors to celebrate the achievements of the graduating students.
-
Feature/OPED5 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism9 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz2 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking7 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy2 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking2 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports2 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn
-
Technology4 years agoHow To Link Your MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile Lines to NIN