Academic Technologists at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, have warned Seyi Makinde of Oyo State against the unjust removal of the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Michael Ologunde.
Recall that the Governor, through his Education Commissioner, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, on Sunday, ordered the Vice Chancellor to step aside indefinitely and handover to the next Principal officer in rank in order to ensure uninterrupted flow of normal activities in the university.
However, in a statement released on Tuesday by the National Association of Academic Technologists in the institution, they warned that the governor must allow due process and obey the rule of law.
The statement reads:
The National Association of Academic Technologists of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso without mincing words wish to advise the Oyo State Government being led by His Excellency, Engineer Abiodun Oluseyi Makinde to follow rule of law in addressing this burning issue especially that the government of Governor Makinde is well known to be a champion and apostle of rule of law in the past. It is on record that LAUTECH of today did not become Oyo State property through illegal means but through the sincere effort of the current Oyo State Government under the leadership of Engineer Makinde.
One could not but wonder why the issue of the Vice Chancellorship would be so different from how the ownership tussle was resolved through legal means.
The NAAT wishes to directly point the attention Oyo State Government to the fact that University throughout the globe enjoy what is known as autonomy and LAUTECH has not been and is not different from other Universities across the globe and particularly, Nigeria.
Furthermore, Professor Ologunde is a product of the Governing Council as the Vice Chancellor and the Council should be allowed to determine whether he should step aside or not through fair hearing especially that no allegation was levelled against him in the said memo written by the Commissioner.
The National Association of Academic Technologists would not end this address without thanking the Excellency, Governor Oluseyi Makinde for his commitment to the upliftment of the academic standard of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso through regular release of subventions to the institution since the inception of his administration.
