LAUTECH: Students too disapprove of relocation of agric faculty to Iseyin, march in protest, VC reacts
Khalid ABRAHAM
There was a peaceful protest Tuesday mainly by students of the faculty of agricultural sciences (FAG), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso,.Oyo state.
The pensive looking students numbering over 5, 000 carried placards bearing various inscriptions to convey their displeasure over the planned relocation of their faculty to Iseyin in Oke-Ogun axis of the state.
Some of the placards read, “Iseyin is not on our admission letter, Our roots is in Ogbomoso, Keep FAG in Ogbomoso, Pity our parents pity our lives, We have the right to say no, Justice for students, Iseyin is not an option, Seyi Makinde listen to us, our lives are important no to Iseyin, Seyi Makinde you said you are a caring governor, We are admitted to LAUTECH Ogbomoso, Why FAG?, No to relocation, Seyi Makinde take your child to Iseyin.”
Ogbomoso Insight reported the state government is building a campus of the institution in Iseyin with plan to relocate the faculty of agriculture there amid turning the institution into a conventional one which will see it having more non-science/technological based faculties.
This however has been generating opposition from the people of Ogbomoso, the host community who see the proposal as a means to shortchange them.
“Moving a foundation faculty that is over 33 years old with over 12,000 students aside staff from the main campus will inflict a big toll on the economy of the town,” a community leader had lamented.
”Instead of moving the faculty of agric let them establish those promised new faculties or found a new university in Iseyin. Governor Makinde should hearken to our plea,” he added.
Staff of the faculty also recently in a meeting dismissed the plan as ill-advised citing various reasons such as truncation of research partnerships, jeopardizing of personal researches, family dislocations, risks of travelling, waste of time and resources and so on thus appealing to Makinde to rescind the decision.
Meanwhile, the state government has not reacted to the agitations.
Speaking at the demonstration, one of the leaders of the protest said, at their faculty, “We are not here to cause nuisance but to show our grievances against the plan to move the faculty to Iseyin.
“We are begging in the name of God that we students of the faculty of agriculture are not going to Iseyin,” to which a resounding “no,” greeted.
From the faculty the students marched to the Senate Building where they locked one of the gates.
Olukitibi Oluwatoba Israel president of Nigerian Association of Agriculture Students (NAAS) LAUTECH chapter reiterated the demand of the students that the decision to relocate the faculty to Iseyin should be rescinded,” while demanding to see the Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Razaq Olatunde Rom Kalilu, who is assuming duty as helmsman today having just been appointed Friday.
Another speaker said, ”This is not a fighting protest, we come with a peaceful mind but we are not backing down until the management listens to us.”
The VC arrived to meet the protesting students who in his short response chastised the students positing they jettisoned the proper channel to pour into the street.
“This shouldn’t be the channel, the university and the faculty have boards through which you should have made known your grievances and would have been passed to the appropriate quarters.
“As future leaders here protesting if Senate has not met it will not yield any results. Make your demands and observations known through proper channels. Learn to do things properly.”
Insinuating the protest is motivated by politics he submitted, “I will advise you shouldn’t be involved in politics, your lecturers are members of Senate, discuss with them and let them take your grievances to the Senate.
“I have seen you, l have listened to you, l will take it up with your college.”
But reacting to the the insinuation a student leader retorted, “Today is the first day of our daddy (VC) in office and he thought this is a political propaganda but this is not a political propaganda.”
Meanwhile as at the time of filing this report the students have continued their protest as solidarity songs like “Solidarity for ever/3x we shall always fight our cause,” etc rent the air.
