I refrained from talking about the ReOpenLautech campaign for so long because I realized that comrades who engaged themselves along side took it has a joke. Really, the struggle is a joke. And most of the writers that engaged in her affairs are "wannabes " chasing after cheap fame, spreading baseless open letters around with junky contents am sorry if the sounds rude . I’ve turned my face away while events unfold and no progressive result has come out so far. But as a friend of mine 'Kúnlè Adèbajó writes in one of his award wining articles said, “The deepest parts of hell are reserved for people who keep quiet in times of decadence”. So if you are reading this, note that it’s not about fancy grammar or beautiful writing. In fact, it’s not for the sake of the text. Forget about me being a writer, and think of this as the candid mind of a progressive.
I won’t even try to add flavour or conceptualize this piece because today, I’m not seeking comments like ‘Nice write-up’. Today, I seek to enlighten, I seek to open your minds to long lost truths. I seek to open eyes to the reality of our day. I seek to start a revolution. And by the end of this, I want us all to swift into reasonable actions that will ReOpenLautech without any divided interest or faction. I know everybody will take perspectives. While some will recline to their seats and put on their thinking caps, others will close their eyes and charge head first like Amokachi, the bull, simply because bulls don’t think. All that is expected in a community of over thirty five thousand acclaimed students. But before you go crying to the gallery, calm yourselves and just read.
Before i proceed , let me quickly react to what his Royal Highness , the Ooni of Ife has said concerning Lautech during the courtesy visit of some LAUTECH students to his palace to plead with him as a royal Father in the Yoruba land to wade into the crisis going on in Lautech . He said "He is aware of the crisis on going in the institution that if Lautech will be reopened , then fee hike is inevitable " . at this juncture i think i have to make some little analysis before i finally say my mind in my next article. Let us travel back into history a little bit .
Amid the protest of students Lautech against increment of school fee in the year the authorities of the University and the Owner states governments of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ogbomosho , Oyo and Osun states also embarked on an aggressive propaganda to water down the backlash of the public against the fee hike from #40,000 to #110,000 . The central premises of the argument of the authorities against the fee hike solidarity was : complaints over the dwindle subventions from the owner state government and the need to develop and sustain quality in the Ladoke Akintola University Of Technology , hence students must pay .. But quite after a long protest of the students there was a change in government simultaneously in the two co-owing states and the skyrocketed fee came down to #65,000 basic tuition and #20,000 acceptance fee which I believe happened on a mutual understanding between the students and the authorities of the university of technology then ,recently , fresher's acceptance fee was increased from #20,000,to #30,000 , with no one questioning the deeds of the management.
Barely five years after the hike , these arguments have been debunked by realities of things we students of the institution can see win our own naked eyes , while the increment too has failed to justify its existence in the first instance.
This nagging crisis of almighty ASUU refusal to submit examination questions which led the managements announcing a false indefinite break has afforded me the time to have a closer or let me say a personal review of the exorbitant and "holy gholistic" increment of our tuition. Looking through the estimation on my tuition receipt , I kept on fixedly gazing on five out of the 12 listed estimation on the list but which are
(1) Development Fee .............. #30,000
(2) Registration Fee ..................#2,000
(3)I.D Card ................................#500
(4) General Maintenance........#25,000
(5)Consumable Fee.................#3,000
Then questions heaped round my thought as ant heap round a cone of sugar begging my attention , then I choose one of the questions which is " development of what ...." An obvious pellucid reason for this question is , so far , the condition Lautech has been during the time when fee was #40,000 and now . Well , consoling myself , it was at least or probably used to pay the salaries of the workers before the academic unions(almighty ASUU , NASU , SSANU , NAAT) unleash their wrath of strike against the management since the owner states governments no more consider funding of education a fundamental responsibility. And today this is another great testimony of corruption in our educational system where money meant for development of facilities in the institution to produce world class graduates has been diverted to payment of salaries which should be a fundamental responsibility of the government. The Vice-Chancellor wants to remain is office just like Dasuki and diverted our money ... Where is EFCC?
Someone is asking what about the new halls and convocation hall that was just erected on campus , my friend ,that project was funded by the almighty ASUU strike in 2013 , then what about the painting of halls and some renovations we can see ... Thanks for helping me fix something at least to point at for the General Maintenance fee of #25,000 from each student 100-500level ... Where is EFCC?
It may interest you to you to know that , all the estimations on our tuition fee receipt was a result of the unified protest of students which saw to the reduction we have now. As far as am concerned, no development whatsoever has been done by the management ... Where is EFCC?
We pay #500 for I.D card every session 100-500 level and he the we would only be giving identity card during our 100level days if not 200level...Where is EFCC?
We pay #3,000 for consumable as if we eat everyday in school ....Where is EFCC?
Coupled with some other registration charges I still do not understand the reason why we pay faculty and departmental fee , #2,000 registration fee is meant for what? Where is EFCC?
I leave the total estimation of all the administrative titled fee we pay to the mathematicians to rack brains about considering we sum up to 35.000 students.
Maybe my definition of development is what I'm inferior ring from? Lest I fall a victim of erroneous conclusion.
Let me linguistically analyze the word "Development" , or probably what management mean . Is what my dictionary defined it to be or what? Well , here is what I have according to lexicographers.
Development is : the act or process of growing or causing something to grow or become larger or more advanced.
Sequel to the above definition , is it then justifiably right , based on the condition of our lecture halls , sport facilities and Others , that the management have satisfied the above definition ? To which #30,000 development fee was attached to? I see the word development used by the management as a canopy to hide somewhat exorbitant fee. If not , why the sudden increment in freshers acceptance fee? Where is EFCC?
Obviously , this situation needs attention and changes. Some lecture halls need chair , some more pillars need erecting and flooring needs some tiling.
These which I have written here are mere snippets. I can keep writing but then I may bore you. And moreover, I want to believe that every student – even those in their first year - has been visited with the melodrama of the management and the government. The university is endowed with enough problems and corruption to fill a book that will top numerous bestseller lists.
But I have not written just to lament the problem. Remember I said, this is the start of a revolution. I want to acknowledge that this piece is not late yet because in a world where the truth is a hunted specie, where a select few sit in the dark to determine the fate of the majority; fear is bound to thrive. The fear of what may or may not be has thrived in my heart for long because people who have stood for the truth at different times have been persecuted rather unjustly. The unjust persecution of the students froms University of Lagos bears me witness.
Before I retire back into my quiescence, I seek that you reading join in the revolution. Do help truth prevail, please. Employ logic without a touch of scepticism and join this struggle. Now, this is the least you can do for the Lautech student community. Tomorrow, there’ll be a chance to refine the system, let’s just do what is right today. Remember, Three months at home does not concern your hostel agent and landlords.
As we jointly advocate for Lautech to be reopened , we should not forget that the owner state government plan to increase our school fees which in turn will be used to pay the salary of staffs of the institution, as the IGR can no longer sustain the school running and no single development will occur in the school as usual as the Ooni of Ife as echoed in his voice. Even Alafin of Oyo ask we student to cooperate with the corruption. Smh.
Lets join the fight to reopen lautech for good of our future leaders.
