BREAKING: Oyo Govt prepares LAUTECH Bill

The Oyo state government has said that is has prepared a bill that will prepare the legal framework for the full take off of Ladoke Akintola University Of Technology (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso following the ceding of its sole ownership of the institution to Oyo state by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

Speaking on behalf of the state government, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Oyo state, Barr Oyelowo Oyewo SAN, made this known on Wednesday 16th December, while briefing governor’s office correspondents on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting.

Barr Oyewo SAN, added that the new template to be adopted for LAUTECH operation is a multi campus system which is expected to allow other regions of the state access to tertiary education noting that the administrative headquarters of the school will remain in Ogbomoso.

While the university was ceded to Oyo state, LAUTECH Teaching hospital was ceded to Osun state government in a resolution that has been described by both governors of Oyo state and Osun state as amicably.

Recall that the agelong tussle for the sole ownership of LAUTECH was made a reality on 20th November, 2020 by the Nigerian University Commission after both governments of Oyo state and Osun state agreed to end the institution’s joint ownership which began in 1990 when LAUTECH was established by the then military government.

Barr Oyewo explained that the new legal framework for the school has been captured in a proposed bill titled “Oyo State LAUTECH Bill, 2021 which is ready for onward transmission to the state house of assembly for consideration and approval on or before Friday 18th Dec. 2020.

Similarly, the Oyo government has also said that it has awarded contract for production of exercise books, procurement of science equipments, completion of millennium secondary school in Ogbomoso, as well as construction of chairs and desks for public secondary schools across the state.

The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye, who disclosed this on Wednesday maintained that the move is furtherance of its drive to provide quality learning facilities to public school students in the state.

The contract for the production of exercise books according to Olaleye costs a total sum of N446 million and is expected to be delivered to the state government within four weeks.

Production of 25, 750 units of student furniture is awarded at the total cost of N658 million, contract for the procurement of science equipment materials for public secondary schools is at a total sum of N169 million.

Other project contracted out by the state government is completion of an abandoned Millennium secondary school in Ogbomoso at a total sum of N64 million, and is equally expected to be completed within eight weeks in order to promote and improve the standard of education in the state.