- LASU says bread is the only brand of bread to be sold within university community
- Dont violate competition law, says FCCPC Boss Babatunde Irukera
The Lagos State University has come under fire on social media after it announced its foray into the bread making business, Sunrise News reports.
The University, on Wednesday, said the initiative was part of efforts by Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, the vice-chancellor, to shore-up the institution’s internally generated revenue.
In a Twitter post, the institution said LASU bread will henceforth be sold within its main campus at Ojo.
“Accolades for the VC, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, mni, as LASU Bakery opens for business. The bakery is part of her administration’s drive to increase IGR. The LASU Bread will henceforth be the only bread on the university’s main campus, Ojo,” the tweet reads.
The post has, however, provoked mixed reactions on the micro-blogging platform as well as on Facebook.
While some users lauded the initiative, a section of the users argued that the institution should focus on research and getting grants to support its core mandate of manpower development.
Some users also called out the university over its alleged monopoly, adding that other brands of bread should be allowed within the institution.
Reacting in the comment section, chief executive officer of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Babatunde Irukera, said the directive by LASU “violates competition law”.
“I am afraid this presents a potential violation of competition law. Under the FCCPC, it’s an offense to limit competition in this manner, LASU is not exempted because govts are also subject when they engage in commerce. I assume this statement doesn’t convey what it says,” he wrote.