Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has announced a 25 percent reduction in the tuition fees payable by students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH).
The governor made the announcement on Tuesday during an interaction with the students in Ogbomoso.
While making the announcement, the governor said the reduction would cut across all students irrespective of their statuses and indigenity.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Taiwo Adisa.
He quoted Makinde as saying that he was thankful to the students for according him a warm reception despite the impromptu nature of his visit.
He also stated that he was happy to fulfill the promise of securing the sole ownership of LAUTECH for Oyo State.
“I am glad to be back among you. After the 2019 election, I should have returned to say thank you to you but I didn’t want to come until I fulfill what I promised you, which is the sole ownership of LAUTECH by Oyo State.
“Let me tell you, the LAUTECH fee is still the lowest in the entire South-West. Having said that, I will reduce your fee across the board; whether indigenes or non-indigenes, even new students. There will be a reduction of 25 percent across the board,” the governor said.
The governor also inaugurated a High Dependency Unit of the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital and said that his administration would construct a befitting flyover in Ogbomoso.
He also reassured the re-engaged 170 staff of the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital who were relieved of their employment by the previous administration that the current government will pay their five months salary arrears.
The governor said a four-year programme in LAUTECH will not be turned to eight years again.
“Again, if you remember, during my electioneering campaign in 2019, I promised you that we will fix U-Under-Stadium road so that none of our students will get killed on the main road. Now, the road is fixed and you have the street light installed. The securing of the sole ownership of the University means never again will a four-year programme turn into an 8-year programme in LAUTECH,” Makinde said.
– Dissolving LAUTECH Joint-Ownership –
The state governors of Osun and Oyo states in November agreed to dissolve the joint ownership of Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH) and Ladoke Akintola College of Health.
LAUTECH’s ownership was then transferred to the government of Oyo State while the College of Health’s ownership was transferred to the government of Osun State.
The decision according to Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Abubakar Rasheed was taken after extensive deliberations, negotiations and consultations
Oyo State Governor Makinde has since made moves for the institution to be a conventional university.
Following the signing of the LAUTECH, Ogbomoso 2020 Bill into law, the state plans to apply to necessary authorities to change the university from a technology university to a conventional university so that it could be strengthened and enabled to handle other courses outside the technology bracket.
