The Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo state, has announced full commencement of academic activities for the 2018/2019 session.
The lecturers across the various faculties resumed lectures on Monday with students excited that the prolonged strike called by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was broken.
Social and academic activities returned to the campuses of the institution both in Ogbomoso and Osogbo, while students were still returning to the campuses.
The Students’ Union President, Abiodun Oluwaseun, who monitored the resumption alongside other executive members, described the directive to resume as satisfactory.
“We are all happy and impressed that lectures are actually taking place in all the places we visited.
“As a union, we cannot ask for more, we only want to appeal to those of our lecturers who are still not cooperating to join hands with their colleagues to salvage LAUTECH.
“The number of students who have resumed is also very encouraging and we thank stakeholders for this New Year gift that is most appreciated,” Oluwaseun said.
The Chairman of the Parents and Teachers’ Committee, Rev. (Dr) Israel Olaniyan, who also remarked, said parents are particularly happy at the resumption of lectures.
According to him, it is the news that we have always waited for, our joy as parents knows no bound.
“We are pleading with the governors of Oyo and Osun states to help ensure that workers are paid as and when due, so that we can hope for an uninterrupted academic sessions,” he said.
Olaniyan expressed the readiness of his committee to continue to meet with other stakeholders towards finding a lasting solution to the various problems threatening the survival of the university.
LAUTECH Alumni Association, Ogbomoso branch, Dr Azeem Ige, Chairman, said all hands must on deck to salvage the university, “which some of us attended and gave the fame they have today.”
He appealed to the leadership of ASUU, especially in LAUTECH to seek peaceful resolution to the crisis.
“We are ASUU members and fully aware of what the association is fighting for; but we also have to consider the plight of our students.
“Our appeal is for our leaders in the association to consider other means while lecture continues,” Ige said.