LAUTECH Bill: Involve stakeholders through public hearing — Ogbomoso group urges Oyo Assembly

The Ogbomoso Young Professionals in Abuja has asked the Oyo State House of Assembly not to be in what it called unwarranted haste in passing into law an Executive Bill seeking to amend the law establishing the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso.

The Chairman of the group of Abuja-based young professionals, Akinloye Oyeniyi, in an interview on Sunday said the group has been reliably informed that the state House of Assembly will be passing the bill on Monday, hence the group’s clamour for involvement of stakeholders in and outside Oyo State through a public hearing.

Governor Makinde had recently after securing the university sole-ownership for Oyo State, said he would be making the institution a multi-campus one. The statement was backed by Wednesday’s approval of a proposed Bill by the State Executive Council and its subsequent presentation to the state House of Assembly which immediately commenced work on it on Thursday by passing it through First and Second readings and then referred it to the House Committee on Education, Science and Technology.

Speaking further, Oyeniyi said “it is necessary we consolidate on the recent sole-ownership success by repositioning LAUTECH and return it back to its glorious path which multi-ownership and multi-campus status have robbed it of these past years. But with what we are hearing, that might end up as a mirage.

In the latest interview, the group said it has noticed the frenzy speed at which the House is carrying out the legislative process on the proposed bill and consequently asking the House Committee to slow down and engage stakeholders and experts in order to garner more useful details.

Oyeniyi who is a Legislative Expert and Public Affairs Commentator while answering questions, advised the relevant House Committee to conduct public hearing so as to obtain and analyse relevant information, expert opinions and other public advice on the proposed legislation.

The House of Assembly should exercise patience and not be in unnecessary haste. We have gathered from reliable sources that they will hurriedly be passing the bill tomorrow Monday; same bill that was presented on the floor of the House last week Thursday.

While it is the prerogative of the concerned House Committee to call for a public hearing while processing bills referred to it by the House, we at Ogbomoso Young Professionals are calling on them to relax and employ the vital legislative mechanism of public hearing not only for the Committee to make an informed decision on this matter by obtaining and exchanging information with experts and the public thereby enhancing the legislation but to also promote meaningful public participation in the legislative business of our dear state”,; the Legislative Expert and Public Affairs Commentator said.

The group also reiterated that its resolve to seek for public hearing is also to help in birthing a forum through which the Committee can enlighten, educate and inform the Oyo public about their lawmaking duties and to also enhance public engagement and participation in the legislative process through presentations that will engender an improved, quality and effective LAUTECH legislation.