LAUTECH Iseyin Campus: Crucial open letter to Gov Makinde

LAUTECH Iseyin Campus: Crucial open letter to Gov Makinde

Your Excellency Sir,

I begin by commending your administration for its remarkable performance across various sectors in the state. However, I have a pressing concern regarding the College of Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Iseyin Campus. Your administration’s silence on the plight of staff and students has raised serious questions. It appears that the decision to relocate the college was based on incomplete information, which nearly sparked a crisis between Ogbomoso and Iseyin, and was politicized.

Click to register

I urge you to investigate the current state of student enrolment and the inadequacy of facilities at the college. Introducing new programs to the campus while relocating an established Faculty risks undermining the foundation of the University. While the relocation may have yielded political gains in Iseyin, it has yet to deliver meaningful benefits to the community, particularly in terms of employment opportunities for locals.

Given the establishment of the Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Okeho (FUNATO), I propose that the LAUTECH campus be repurposed to accommodate Faculties of the new University. This would be a strategic move, as the College of Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources with only two Faculties cannot compete with a full-fledged University Agriculture and Technology in the same zone. Returning the LAUTECH programs to Ogbomoso and allocating the infrastructure to the new University (FUNATO) would benefit both towns. This approach would provide Federal presence in education, create employment opportunities for locals, and yield benefits for your administration.

A similar model was successfully implemented with the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), which absorbed a state hospital, likewise University of Ilorin used Kwara State state hospital for number of years. I humbly request that you consider this proposal and its potential benefits for Oyo State.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Akanmu Israel