Osun State Government on Tuesday said Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, must have been wrongly briefed on the running of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, when he said Osun abandoned payment of workers of the institution.
A statement from the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Wole Oyebamiji, declared that Osun had never shirked its responsibility in the payment of salaries of workers in both the university and the Teaching Hospital in Osogbo.
The government said the state has always been alive to its responsibility with regard to its obligations to LAUTECH despite the obvious lopsidedness in the distribution of infrastructure between the two owner states.
It specifically mentioned that in year 2017 alone, while Oyo contributed N717, 888, 795.00, Osun contributed N1, 292, 000, 000.00. In 2018, Oyo contributed N443, 865,554.00; Osun contributed N500, 000,000.
In addition to contributing regularly to payment of LAUTECH Ogbomoso, the statement said Osun government alone has been responsible for payment of salaries of workers at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, from 2013 to date, amounting to N16, 369, 953, 830.48.
“For instance, from January to June this year, while Oyo had paid about N1.1billion to the university, Osun, on the other hand, had paid about N1.7 billion from January to July this year to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital. This is in addition to the N300million it released to the university in July.
“Effectively, what this implies is that while Osun had cumulatively spent about N2billion on the institution from January to date, Oyo had only spent a little over N1billion.
“From the foregoing, who has defaulted? Rather than attempt to vilify our government, we should be commended. The university is a joint responsibility. Whatever decision that needs to be taken on its future must be mutually agreed upon.
“Again, for emphasis, we are committed to the joint ownership of LAUTECH and we will never shy away from our responsibilities, just as we will never sacrifice the future of the students of the university on the altar of partisan politics,” the statement concluded.
