By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsor Olowoopejo
CATHOLIC Bishop of Oyo Diocese, Bishop Emmanuel Badejo, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to prevail on Governors Alao Akala of Oyo State and Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun State to find solution to the on-going ownership crisis at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomosho.

Bishop Badejo who made the call in a statement lamented that the crisis has had negative impact on the students who have been at the receiving end of the  tussle between the two  states.

According to him: “One would really need to be heartless not to feel sorry for the poor students who always get the bad end of the stick and whose lives are being mortgaged by the incessant problems bedevilling this hitherto promising university.”

One wonders how it is ever so impossible for us in Nigeria to set up and preserve anything of value without allowing ego and personal interests to ruin the deal.’’

The bishop lamented that this was coming in view of the fact that LAUTECH was recently adjudged one of the best Nigerian Universities, adding that “its current condition is best described as tragic.

A bomb explosion in Abuja may be considered more dangerous than a strike and may have forced government to act quickly and find a solution. In reality such a debilitating situation as we have in LAUTECH is a simmering volcano which could in future have an even more devastating effect than a bomb blast.

It is immoral and irresponsible for our leaders to invest so much resources and energy in political campaign and horse trading all over the nation while an institution like LAUTECH is left to rot because of non-payment of staff salaries.

The cleric argued that the crises in the university had been compounded with  the various  unions  now insisting  they be paid the new  improved salary scale specified for university staff members.