LAUTECH CRISES; THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY.
Contrary to the opinions of a majority of LAUTECH stakeholders and my stance in previous open letters to the two official visitors, which puts them at the center of the blame game, this time, i have deemed it fit to redirect the focus of our cameras to the bloated leadership of the university which is infested with economic and financial fraud, corruption, true dereliction, abuse of power and mismanagement of resources.
If you look at great tertiary institutions, from the Premier University to Great Ife, you will see that most do not fail due inherent instability but because of internal weakness, corruption, embezzlement, mismanagement, and a failure to manifest the values and ideals they espouse. Truly, these are characteristics that exist everywhere to include tertiary institutions. What successful leadership do is keep them to a minimum because no one has ever eliminated any of those stuffs. Today, LAUTECH is dancing at the corridors of shame and ridicule as a result of the highlighted factors.
By the way, I would like to register my displeasure for the show of impunity and force by the Nigerian Police, during the students’ most recent 'protest for resumption'. Well, those guys in black uniforms are foremen and obey orders from their superiors who often times sits in their offices. Sad, instead of ‘answering their over 200 days prayers’, the owners State allowed the Nigerian Police to shoot tear gas at protesting students, who deemed it fit to express their displeasure for the ‘indefinite mid semester break’ and the industrial action by various unions on the campus, leaving some injured and arrested a few among them. Well, this is not coming as a surprise to me, something worse was done to us when we staged a protest demanding for tuition fee reversal among others.
Before I take on the aforementioned factors, let me give honor to whom honor is due, a reputable role model and a vice chancellor per excellence, Professor Sulaiman Gbadegesin. It is on record that the successes of the Sulaiman Kazeem led Students’ Union Government were built on the cordial relationship we had with the university Senate under his leadership. Sadly, it is practically impossible to exempt this ‘foreman’ from the failed leadership of the university, even with the face lift he has given to the university campus, administrative buildings and the lecture theaters. Unfortunately, his leadership failed to pivot the politics to a balance, end economic and financial crimes and keep mismanagement in the university to a minimum.
Firstly, we all must agree that corruption and mismanagement has reached an unacceptable level in our beloved LAUTECH. It has devoured the resources that could have been devoted to the growth and development of the university and impeded the proper carrying out of the university rules and penalize the honest and capable. Yes, I am open to a broader discuss, if need be but before that, allow me to drop a list of the sources of internally generated revenues of the university. Think about this, LAUTECH has an average of 30,000 undergraduate students, enrolls an average of 4,000 Pre-degree students in two folds a year, have an average of 15,000 Part-time registered students, have an average of 10,000 Masters Degree students, have an average of 10,000 MBA students, have an average of 10,000 PGD Students, students pays department and faculty dues and buy study materials at exorbitant amounts, LAUTECH is a beneficiary of ETF, international donations for research and educational development, LAUTECH ventures, matriculation and convocation dues, donations from corporate bodies and individuals, to mention a few pronounced ones. Now, you can make your findings on how much each student in each category pays for acceptance fee and for tuition and then do the mathematics.
However, in the event that the annual IGR is not enough to meet the needs of the university, then an amount far less than the subvention from the owners States should be perfectly enough. Please be reminded that the previous meeting between the two owners States was ended with a committee constituted to review the finances of the university. This is in phase with my stance that the visitors are also of the opinion that there is corruption and mismanagement in the university.
Yes, funding education is a social responsibility of the government but it gagging when the tertiary institution becomes a complete liability. Unfortunately, the ownership crises seem to have overshadowed the infractions in the leadership of the university. Sad, the said ownership tussle is being fueled by some self serving group of people who are hell bent on robbing Esau of his inheritance for Jacob. May posterity never forget us. However, it is in the best interest of the owners States and other stakeholders to reach a sincere collaboration.
Before I am found guilty of putting up a biased opinion or accused of attacking the leadership of the university, let me say that the owners States also failed to checkmate the leadership of the university and also in their moral and financial responsibilities to the university. At this juncture, the blame game has to stop and a sustainable solution must be proffered to the crises.
In conclusion, until the day the university management and the owners States meet at a round table to discuss how the students can return to class in a wink, I am going to do what I can, regardless of the cost to me, to speak against the awful corruption and mismanagement destroying my beloved Alma-mata and get the students back in classrooms.
Yes, we must set aside our divides and set the record straight because through the inevitable mismanagement of resources and goods at the disposal of the university, all forms of collectivism would eventually lead to tyranny and anarchy.
NB: The figures in paragraph 5 is subject to change.
Thank you.
Sulaiman Kazeem
LAUTECH Alumnus.
13-12-2016
Contrary to the opinions of a majority of LAUTECH stakeholders and my stance in previous open letters to the two official visitors, which puts them at the center of the blame game, this time, i have deemed it fit to redirect the focus of our cameras to the bloated leadership of the university which is infested with economic and financial fraud, corruption, true dereliction, abuse of power and mismanagement of resources.
If you look at great tertiary institutions, from the Premier University to Great Ife, you will see that most do not fail due inherent instability but because of internal weakness, corruption, embezzlement, mismanagement, and a failure to manifest the values and ideals they espouse. Truly, these are characteristics that exist everywhere to include tertiary institutions. What successful leadership do is keep them to a minimum because no one has ever eliminated any of those stuffs. Today, LAUTECH is dancing at the corridors of shame and ridicule as a result of the highlighted factors.
By the way, I would like to register my displeasure for the show of impunity and force by the Nigerian Police, during the students’ most recent 'protest for resumption'. Well, those guys in black uniforms are foremen and obey orders from their superiors who often times sits in their offices. Sad, instead of ‘answering their over 200 days prayers’, the owners State allowed the Nigerian Police to shoot tear gas at protesting students, who deemed it fit to express their displeasure for the ‘indefinite mid semester break’ and the industrial action by various unions on the campus, leaving some injured and arrested a few among them. Well, this is not coming as a surprise to me, something worse was done to us when we staged a protest demanding for tuition fee reversal among others.
Before I take on the aforementioned factors, let me give honor to whom honor is due, a reputable role model and a vice chancellor per excellence, Professor Sulaiman Gbadegesin. It is on record that the successes of the Sulaiman Kazeem led Students’ Union Government were built on the cordial relationship we had with the university Senate under his leadership. Sadly, it is practically impossible to exempt this ‘foreman’ from the failed leadership of the university, even with the face lift he has given to the university campus, administrative buildings and the lecture theaters. Unfortunately, his leadership failed to pivot the politics to a balance, end economic and financial crimes and keep mismanagement in the university to a minimum.
Firstly, we all must agree that corruption and mismanagement has reached an unacceptable level in our beloved LAUTECH. It has devoured the resources that could have been devoted to the growth and development of the university and impeded the proper carrying out of the university rules and penalize the honest and capable. Yes, I am open to a broader discuss, if need be but before that, allow me to drop a list of the sources of internally generated revenues of the university. Think about this, LAUTECH has an average of 30,000 undergraduate students, enrolls an average of 4,000 Pre-degree students in two folds a year, have an average of 15,000 Part-time registered students, have an average of 10,000 Masters Degree students, have an average of 10,000 MBA students, have an average of 10,000 PGD Students, students pays department and faculty dues and buy study materials at exorbitant amounts, LAUTECH is a beneficiary of ETF, international donations for research and educational development, LAUTECH ventures, matriculation and convocation dues, donations from corporate bodies and individuals, to mention a few pronounced ones. Now, you can make your findings on how much each student in each category pays for acceptance fee and for tuition and then do the mathematics.
However, in the event that the annual IGR is not enough to meet the needs of the university, then an amount far less than the subvention from the owners States should be perfectly enough. Please be reminded that the previous meeting between the two owners States was ended with a committee constituted to review the finances of the university. This is in phase with my stance that the visitors are also of the opinion that there is corruption and mismanagement in the university.
Yes, funding education is a social responsibility of the government but it gagging when the tertiary institution becomes a complete liability. Unfortunately, the ownership crises seem to have overshadowed the infractions in the leadership of the university. Sad, the said ownership tussle is being fueled by some self serving group of people who are hell bent on robbing Esau of his inheritance for Jacob. May posterity never forget us. However, it is in the best interest of the owners States and other stakeholders to reach a sincere collaboration.
Before I am found guilty of putting up a biased opinion or accused of attacking the leadership of the university, let me say that the owners States also failed to checkmate the leadership of the university and also in their moral and financial responsibilities to the university. At this juncture, the blame game has to stop and a sustainable solution must be proffered to the crises.
In conclusion, until the day the university management and the owners States meet at a round table to discuss how the students can return to class in a wink, I am going to do what I can, regardless of the cost to me, to speak against the awful corruption and mismanagement destroying my beloved Alma-mata and get the students back in classrooms.
Yes, we must set aside our divides and set the record straight because through the inevitable mismanagement of resources and goods at the disposal of the university, all forms of collectivism would eventually lead to tyranny and anarchy.
NB: The figures in paragraph 5 is subject to change.
Thank you.
Sulaiman Kazeem
LAUTECH Alumnus.
13-12-2016
