Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Saturday, said that the state has what it takes to restore the lost glory of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH).
Makinde made this declaration following the termination of the joint ownership of the institution between the Oyo and Osun State governments.
Makinde, while speaking on Saturday, declared that the state now has the opportunity to restore the lost glory of the university.
The governor also maintained that the real work to reposition the university and take it back to the glorious days when it was adjudged the best state-run university has now begun.
Makinde while speaking further appreciated his Osun State counterpart, Governor Gboyega Oyetola, for his cooperation all through the discussions.
He also stated that with the amicable ending of the joint ownership, a situation that has bogged down the university for years, he was ready to reposition the institution in line with his campaign promise.
He added that Oyo State under his watch will readily reposition the school for excellence, noting that his administration’s drive to industrialise the state will get the much needed boost with an effectively run technology university like LAUTECH.
“So, we give God all the glory. Now, the real work starts because we have to ensure that the university is properly funded so that it will be contributing to the economy of Ogbomoso in particular and Oyo State in general.
“If we are saying we want to industrialise the state and we have a university of technology adding value in Ogbomoso, the industrialisation effort can proceed very quickly.”
The governor further maintained that Oyo State is ready to fully shoulder the financial responsibilities of LAUTECH, as it has been doing since the beginning of year 2020.
He said that the state government has appropriated enough funds to the institution in the 2021 budget, adding that his administration will continue to discharge its responsibilities on the institution.
“The arrangement that we met when we came in May, 2019, was that Oyo State usually will fund the University from January to June and then Osun state will fund it from July to December. We had to intervene a couple of times last year, and between May and December, we had to intervene to get the university running.”
