Oyo State Government has approved a draft bill to reflect the new ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso and the multi-campus status of the university.
The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof Oyelowo Oyewo, according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Taiwo Adisa, said this while briefing journalists in Ibadan after the State Executive Council Meeting on Wednesday.
The National Universities Commission recently ceded the university which was jointly owned by Oyo and Osun states to the former and the university’s teaching hospital in Osogbo was ceded to the latter.
The attorney general said the State Executive Council had resolved to present the Sole Ownership of LAUTECH University bill to Oyo State House of Assembly.
He said, “At the 33rd exco council meeting, the Ministry of Justice, presented a bill, consequent upon the pronouncement of the National Universities Commission bringing to an end the joint ownership of LAUTECH between Osun State and Oyo State, and vesting the sole ownership of LAUTECH in Oyo State.
“This made it necessary for us to have the existing law, which is the LAUTECH law of 2000 to be either amended or repealed. We chose the other route of having the pre-existing laws repealed and bringing in a new law to establish the LAUTECH University Law with sole ownership vested in Oyo State; and to also discontinue the practices and rules that hitherto applied to LAUTECH in the joint ownership with Osun State.
“We also made some consequential amendments to the composition of the council and, more importantly, empower the university to be a multi-campus institution with campuses established in Oyo State as the need arises.
“So, these are the major amendments which have been done but the law will now be known as LAUTECH Law of 2020, so that it constitutes a new beginning; the opening of a new chapter in the life of that institution.”