The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso chapter on Sunday warned both Oyo and Osun State Governments not to play politics with the lives of staff and students of the university.

ASUU maintained that the welfare of her members remained paramount in her demands and that it would do everything at her disposal not to expose her members to economic hardship.

ASUU Chairman, Dr. Biodun Olaniran and Secretary, Dr. Toyin Abegunrin in a statement made available to DAILY POST, stated that the payment of salaries and arrears of allowances to her members remained paramount and would not be traded for politics between the owner states.

DAILY POST recalls that the union had last week threatened to disrupt academic activities if Osun state government which it said was scheduled to pay salaries between July and December fails to pay the outstanding August and September salaries.

However, Osun state Government through its Secretary to the State Government, Wole Oyebamiji in a reaction, said that ASUU was misguided by the accusation against the state of the state. 

But, the duo of Olaniran and Abegunrin while reacting, described the press release issued by Osun state government as “outright lies, deceptive assemblage of figures with a propagandist mindset”

The duo in the statement said, “Now to the facts of the matter, Osun state should be ready to explain to the public, if there was an arrangement between the two states (Oyo and Osun) to pay LAUTECH salaries on six monthly basis? How faithfully has Osun been discharging its own share of this responsibility since 2013?

“Osun state should also toe the path of honour by telling the public, how many teaching hospitals service LAUTECH’s medical programme? If Osun state has been funding the LAUTECH Teaching hospital in Osogbo, Osun State, who has been funding the LAUTECH Teaching hospital in Ogbomoso, Oyo state?

“If Oyo state has not neglected the release of salary subvention to LAUTECH workers, just because the state funds the teaching hospital on Ogbomoso, Oyo state, why is Osun state hiding under the excuse that it has been paying salaries in the teaching hospital in Osogbo alone? The two teaching hospitals have their separate governing boards, their memberships are separately drawn from individuals within their states, and the financial obligations are borne separately by individual states.

™For Osun to insinuate that Oyo has been cheating it because of this arrangement is factually incorrect and realistically deceptive. To this, we ask Osun to stop hiding behind one finger.

“May we also ask why is it that it is only when it comes to Osun’s turn to pay salaries in LAUTECH that they start looking for issues to complain about?”