Your Excellency,
We, the Youths of Iseyin land, are compelled to write to you with utmost urgency and desperation, seeking your immediate intervention to address the existential crisis facing our campus. The situation is dire, and we implore you to act swiftly to grant our campus autonomy, lest we risk losing a generation of students, the brilliant contribution they would add to the education body in the country and the beautiful vision of your Excellency to expand the economy beyond the capital city.
Since its establishment in 2021, the campus has been subjected to neglect, marginalization, and deliberate attempts to stifle its growth and development by the main campus in Ogbomosho. This happened because the campus relies solely on the latter – the sole reliance has resulted in:
- Inadequate infrastructure and resources, forcing students to travel to Ogbomosho for practical
- Unwillingness of lecturers to relocate to Iseyin, compromising the quality of education
- Denial of opportunities for research and innovation, stunting the growth and development of our students
- A sense of hopelessness and frustration among students, staff, and the community.
Please be informed Your Excellency that the main campus, backed by Ogbomoso indigene, has consistently prioritized its own interests over the needs of our students and campus. We are being held hostage by a system that seeks to suppress our aspirations and stifle our progress. In just a year, the students have protested three times, obviously playing the character in a movie written and directed by some wicked lecturers to facilitate their return to Ogbomosho. The recent visit by lecturers to Iseyin campus, attempting to lure students to demonstrate again for a return to Ogbomosho, is a stark reminder of the sinister intentions of the main campus.
As you are aware sir, the Iseyin campus is supposed to have 20 farm units, including poultry, piggery, and others, to facilitate practical training for our students. However, most of these units are non-existent, while those available were not put to use by the lecturers till they became bushy, moribund and useless. Thus, our students are being denied the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in their chosen fields. The lack of farm practicals is a clear indication of the neglect and marginalization of Iseyin campus by the main campus in Ogbomosho. Even as some Iseyin private farmers are ready to release their facilities to the institution for research, the management is thwarting these efforts.
Dear Sir, the consequences of this neglect are dire. Our 400-level students are being neglected, as there are no practical units for them to undertake their projects. The (ANS) Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology departments have even instructed their 500-level students to return to Ogbomosho to complete their projects in their lecturers’ various private farms – this is a clear indication of selfishness and the lack of faith in the Iseyin campus.
We are at a crossroads, Your Excellency. If we do not act now, the consequences will be catastrophic. We risk losing our students, our staff, and our reputation as an institution of higher learning. We risk perpetuating a cycle of poverty and underdevelopment in our community.
We cannot afford to wait any longer. The Local Government, Community Stakeholders and leaders have tried their best to make the Campus work better, through the special committee established to handle LAUTECH Iseyin Campus matters - The efforts of this committee are obviously being strangulated by the base management. We need your leadership, Your Excellency. We need your courage, your vision, and your commitment to justice. We need autonomy, and we need it now.
Your Excellency, we propose the following immediate actions:
1. Grant LAUTECH Iseyin Campus autonomy to function independently
2. Establish a separate management structure, with a Vice-Chancellor and management team appointed by the university council
3. Appoint lecturers who are willing to relocate to Iseyin
4. Allocate a fair share of the university's budget to our campus
5. Allow our campus to develop its own curriculum and programs, tailored to the needs of our students and the community.
We believe that with autonomy, we can overcome the challenges facing Iseyin Campus and provide quality education to our students. We are also confident that with your support, we can make a significant contribution to the development of Oyo State and Nigeria as a whole. We are ready to work with you to make this vision a reality.
We await your urgent response and action.
Yours sincerely,
Qs Babajide Oniyo, MNIQS, RQS,
President, Council of Iseyin Youths Organisations.
Co-signed:
Joint Actions Forum, Iseyin
Iseyin Youth Development Group
Federation of Iseyin Local Government Students
Movement for Ekunle Development
Iseyin Youth Assembly
National Youth Council of Nigeria, Iseyin
Nigerian Youth Congress, Iseyin
Iseyin Youth Forum
Isalu Youth Development Forum
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