The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso chapter, has‎ threatened industrial action if the two state governments which own the institution fail to pay arrears of salaries.

The Chairman of the union, Dr Oyebamiji Oyegoke, who spoke with newsmen in Ibadan on Monday, said his members were facing untold hardship.

Oyegoke urged Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo and Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun to pay the outstanding 13 months salaries owed workers of the institution without further delay.

The chairman said that the call became imperative in view of the bail-out granted to states by President Muhammadu Buhari, of which the two states are beneficiaries.

He expressed regret that academic staff of the university are finding it difficult to survive while nobody was willing to loan them money to meet their basic needs.

“The two‎ owner-states jointly owe the university workers 13 months’ salary arrears, forcing the university to keep the system running via financial interventions,’’ he said.

Oyegoke demanded for regular payment of salaries from monthly government subventions.

According to him, such payment should not be internally generated revenue which is supposed to be used for other welfare and developmental projects.

He lamented that there had been no visible project on the campus in the last five years, adding that projects visible on the campus are products of ASUU struggles and TETFUND interventions‎.

Oyegoke said that the Oyo and Osun governments had abandoned their responsibilities of providing funding as expected for the university, whether capital or recurrent.