Falana Wades Into Lautech Crisis

A human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, on Friday called on the Oyo and Osun state governments to set aside part of the newly disbursed Paris club refunds for the reopening of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso.

Mr. Falana also called on the Osun state government to relinquish ownership of the troubled university as a long term measure, saying the state could not afford to ‘properly fund the university.’

Mr. Falana urged the Oyo state government to be prepared to take over the ownership of LAUTECH and provide the needed funds for it, adding that the government could abolish its new university of technology and deploy the funds meant for it to LAUTECH.

The lawyer made the call at the memorial symposium held in honour of Funmi Adewunmi a former lecturer at the Osun State University, Ikire campus, Osun state.

Rocked by crisis occasioned by the inability of the concerned states to pay salaries, the university has been under lock for many months.

The Senate had on July 12 called on the Nigerian government to take over the university.

Although jointly owned by both states, the Senate said the federal government should release N4 billion to the school.
Speaking about the deceased, Mr. Falana alleged that Mr. Adewunmi, a professor, was not promptly attended to by the management of the University College Hospital on June 13 when he was rushed there by his family after a brief illness.

To prevent avoidable deaths in the country and equally stop the practice of flying Nigerian leaders abroad for medical treatment, Mr. Falana suggested that the bulk of the funds being recovered from looters should be used to refurbish the nation’s hospitals.

In a related development, Mr. Falana has urged the Attorney-general of Kogi state to enlighten the state governor, Yahaya Bello, to appreciate that the fundamental rights of Nigerian citizens to assemble and associate peacefully is constitutionally guaranteed and protected.

He argued that Mr. Bello lacks the legal competence to proscribe a registered trade union like the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

Earlier, the governor had ‘proscribed’ the union at the Kogi State University.