Gubernatorial Candidate of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in the forthcoming election in Oyo State, Engr. Oyedele Hakeem Alao has described the recent hike in tuition of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso as an height of callousness and insensitivity aimed at impoverish the already downtrodden members of the society.
In a statement issued by the Head of Policy and Strategy, Oyedele Hakeem Alao Campaign Organisation, Lekan Salawu, the Structural Engineer lamented the spate of obnoxious policies of APC-led governments; an action he described as unprogressive.
“It is sad seeing students dropping out of school because of insensitivity of government. The government that found it difficult to improve the economy has no business pushing its incompetence to the masses.”
” It is disheartening to see the APC governments of Oyo and Osun aiming to commercialize the educational sector of the respective states. If it is not callousness, how can one describe a situation whereby a student is being asked to pay between two hundred thousand to two hundred and fifty thousand Naira in a government owned institution? ”
“Our party, Alliance for Democracy (AD), has always maintained that the more education is underfunded, the more the problems in the larger society. It is the responsibility of government to fund education and healthcare to an affordable level and once government abdicate such responsibilities, the already impoverished masses should not bear the brunt.
The statement called on Oyo and Osun state government to publish the cost of running LAUTECH per annum that warrant raking in over 6 Billion Naira a year from students.
” If the two governments are aiming to rake in over 6 Billion Naira per annum on the students, we wonder what they are using their educational budget for. We equally want to ask why it is so difficult to continue paying subvention for the institution?.”
Engr. Oyedele Hakeem Alao therefore call on the good people of Oyo State to shine their faces as not to make the same mistake the people of Osun State made by returning the obnoxious APC government to power. AD has a reputation of adequate funding of education and health sectors. Our records are there and we will do more when returned to power in 2019.
“Upon returning to power in 2019, the AD led government will immediately return subvention to not only LAUTECH but other state owned tertiary institutions, commence negotiation of taking over LAUTECH and paying up Osun State share of the institution while ensuring budgetary provision of between 15% to 26% annually for education. ” The statement concluded
