LAUTECH: Makinde Left An Indelible Mark

By Sulaimon Olanrewaju

In 2010, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso (LAUTECH) was rated the best state university in Nigeria. It was also regarded as the eighth-best in the country as well as Africa’s 76th-best. The university’s medical program was assessed as one of the best in Nigeria. Many of its faculties, especially the Faculty of Engineering, were rated quite highly.

The university was a source of pride to the owner-states, the joy of its students, and the glory of the host community as students from all corners of the country flocked to the university.

But its ascent to that enviable height marked the commencement of its descent into ignominy as there was a sudden twist in the university’s narrative. The petty rivalry between the owner states sent peace on an extended vacation at the university. Owing staff salaries became a common occurrence as the two states engaged in a blame game. Going on strike became the norm rather than the exception in the university.

All of these had a telling effect on the university calendar. Medical students spend between 10 and 12 years in a six-year program.

This soon cascaded down to other faculties. Sadly, the once-celebrated university and a leading institution not just in the country but on the continent became the butt of jokes in the comity of tertiary institutions. It moved from being among the best 10 in the country to one of the laggards. It became the choice of admission seekers who were left with no other choice. LAUTECH was a victim of adversarial politicking.

Not unexpectedly, the students were the major casualties as their studies were stunted. The frequency of crises in the university that kept the students away from lecture rooms forced some students to leave the school for other institutions in Nigeria and elsewhere. Some of those who could not transfer their studentship elsewhere took to all manner of vices.

Criminality soared among the students; Yahoo Plus became a fad, and prostitution, and cultism also gained ground. Thus, LAUTECH slid from being an ivory tower, where gentlemen and ladies were groomed, to a ghetto, the breeding place of societal menace.

LAUTECH became the anathema of scholarship and research; it became the ruin of its students, the pains of parents, the nightmare of its staff, the headache of the host community, and the humiliation of its owner-states.

The genesis of LAUTECH’s problem was the decision of Osun State to start its university. That in itself wouldn’t have been an issue if not for it enervated Osun’s commitment to the LAUTECH project.
statesmanship and cooperated with Governor Makinde to rescue the students and give the university a new lease of life. After a series of meetings, the two states were able to strike a deal on how to split the university between them.

The terms of the resolution recommended by the National Universities Commission (NUC) were that while Oyo State would take over the main campus in Ogbomoso, the College of Health Sciences and the Teaching Hospital in Osogbo would go to Osun State. In addition, Oyo State was required to pay some money to Osun State.

With the lingering crisis behind him, Governor Makinde moved swiftly to reposition the university. To formalize the university’s new status, the Oyo State House of Assembly passed the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso Bill, 2020, which was later signed into law by Governor Makinde. Then the Governor took steps to clear the backlog of unpaid salaries. He similarly increased the state’s investment in capital projects in the university. Makinde also constructed the access road to the university, the three-kilometer LAUTECH Under G Gate Stadium Road.

Shortly after he assumed office as the state governor, Makinde increased LAUTECH’s subvention from 25 percent, which he inherited, first to 50 percent and later 100 percent. The Governor also reduced the tuition fee by 25 percent. With that done, the academic and non-academic staff members of the university were motivated to give their best to the institution. Thus, the university was able to hold its convocation in 2022, which was the first time in seven years.

As part of efforts to increase the capacity of the university to deliver value to the people of Oyo State in particular and the nation at large, the state government applied to the NUC to convert LAUTECH from a university of technology to a conventional university to allow for the teaching of other courses. The government also put in place measures to turn the university into a multi-campus institution.

The university has since introduced new courses such as Psychology, Mass Communication, Theatre Arts, and Law in line with its conventional status. The Governor also went ahead to build a world-class College of Agricultural Sciences and Renewable Natural Resources in Iseyin, which was inaugurated in September 2023.

Governor Makinde’s efforts to reposition LAUTECH have yielded great results. Since 2021, LAUTECH has been ranked the Best State University in Nigeria and one of the best overall by different bodies, including the League of Directors of Academic Planning of all universities in Nigeria, the Times Higher Education, and Webometrics. Just recently, the university recorded 100 percent success in the accreditation of its courses by the National Universities Commission (NUC), as the commission accredited all the 31 programs presented by the university.

For LAUTECH, it has been a 180-degree turn.

Speaking on the development in the university, Miss Badrat Adeduntan Adeladun, a 500-level student who is also the Chairman of the LAUTECH Student Caretaker Committee, said the university has bounced back fully. She added that what Governor Makinde has done for the university is unforgettable.

LAUTECH will never forget Makinde. The university community will never forget that Makinde brought the university back from the crypt nor will it forget that Makinde enhanced its universality. Students of LAUTECH will never forget that Makinde rescued the university from a decade of decadence and restored their hope of uninterrupted studentship.

The student body will never forget how Governor Makinde’s infrastructural interventions improved their learning conditions. The university workers will never forget how Governor Makinde’s provision of an enabling environment has helped their career advancement. The university management will never forget how the Governor’s support changed the profile of the university from being crisis-prone to being crisis-free. The business communities in Ogbomoso and Iseyin will never forget how the stability in the university has contributed to their business growth.
To everyone who has had anything to do with LAUTECH in the last five years, Governor Oluwaseyi Abiodun Makinde is simply unforgettable …. and that is for a good reason.

Dr. Olanrewaju is the Chief Press Secretary to Oyo State Governor