The Academic
Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, of the Ladoke Akintola University of
Technology, LAUTECH, has refuted claims by the Oyo and Osun State
governments
that they released N13.63 billion to the university in the last six years.
The union,
which had been protesting the non-payment of salaries and allowances to its
members for several months, also denied the accusation by the owner states that
the unions were preventing the audit firm, KPMG, from carrying out the audit of
the university’s accounts.
A statement
signed by ASUU chairman, Biodun Olaniran, and Secretary, Toyin Abegunrin, said
there was a deliberate misinformation by the Oyo State Commissioner for
Education, Niyi Olowofela, on the financial status of the institution.
“Our Union,
ASUU, is aware of the persistent claim by the Oyo State Commissioner for
Education, Prof. ‘Niyi Olowofela, on the operation of alleged 97 bank accounts
by the LAUTECH and the release of N13.63 billion by the owner states between
2011 – 2016,” the statement said.
“Olowofela
also claimed that members of staff unions were the ones preventing the audit
firm, KPMG, from carrying out the forensic exercise, on which the owner states
premised their decision not to release funds to the university.
“Our union
is disturbed but not surprised, about this deliberate misinformation and
manipulation of facts about issues on ground. While ASUU is not a mouthpiece
for the university administration, it is strange that the governments which put
LAUTECH administration in place cannot demand accountability from the same
appointees.
“They prefer
to confuse issues by putting blames on the doorstep of the workers of the
university and putting the lives and careers of about 30,000 students in
jeopardy.
“The
operation of the accounts solely lies with the university administration and it
must be held responsible for any infractions thereof.”
The union
argued that the wage bill of LAUTECH is about N365 million per month, which
amounts to N4.38 billion per year.
“Therefore
for 2011-2016, the total wage bill expected as subvention from the owner
governments stood at N26.28 billion,” ASUU submitted.
“This amount
does not include allowances, gratuities and pensions that accrued. It is also
necessary to note that the University administration used Internally Generated
Revenue (IGR) and reserves to offset salaries for 18 months.
“The IGR is
derived essentially from fees paid by different categories of students.
Therefore, it is appalling that the Commissioner for Education who is also a University
Professor will be peddling lies alleging that N13.63 billion will pay even
salaries of members of staff for six years.”
The union
also pointed out that between 2011 and 2016, there was no release of capital
grant and overheads to LAUTECH.
“Regarding
capital development, infrastructure, acquisition of equipment and staff
training, LAUTECH has barely managed to be credible as a university through
ASUU-inspired Federal Government intervention programmes such as TetFund and
NEEDs Assessment,” it noted.
“It is
particularly regrettable that the level of indebtedness of the owner states to
the university succinctly captured by the Olanipekun Visitation Panel is being
down-played by the commissioner just to pursue the shadow they call ‘forensic
audit.”
The union
also argued that the locus of financial policy and the repository of the
financial documents of LAUTECH are the University Council and administration
which are the appropriate organs to be asked to account.
“Our union,
ASUU, should not be dragged into the encumbrances surrounding the financial
auditing by KPMG and this should not be linked with non-payment of salaries.
“Our union
wants to point out the unexplained and unacceptable silence of the University
administration on the claims highlighted above; a pointer to either the
acceptance or connivance with the owner state governments to destroy LAUTECH,”
ASUU added.
The Oyo
State education commissioner had recently urged ASUU and other unions not to
disrupt the activities of the audit firm by calling an industrial action,
saying the audit report would help in better management of the institution.
He also said
the owner states were at the verge of releasing funds to the university, but it
was necessary for the audit report to first ascertain the state of finances at
the institution.
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