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Tag: UNILAG

Nigeria President Buhari Reinstates Sacked UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Dissolves Babalakin-led Council

President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday ordered the immediate dissolution of the Wale Babalakin-led Governing Council, University of Lagos.

This was coming as the Buhari administration gave reasons for the reinstatement of the suspended university’s Vice Chancellor, Toyin Ogundipe.

Though Babalakin and some members of the council have since tendered their resignation letters, the latest decision of to Federal Government was in fulfilment of the recommendation of a Special Visitation Panel set up by President Buhari to resolve the crisis rocking the institution following the controversial removal of Ogundipe.

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Sacked UNILAG Vice Chancellor May Return to Office Today

“President Muhammadu Buhari, and Visitor to University of Lagos has approved the Report of the Special Visitation Panel to University of Lagos.

“The highlights of the findings and recommendations approved by Mr. President are as follows:

“The removal of Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe as the Vice Chancellor did not follow due process.

“The Vice Chancellor was not granted an opportunity to defend himself on the allegations upon which his removal was based. He should accordingly be re-instated.

“All allegations made against the Vice Chancellor and the management of the University before and after the Constitution of the Special Visitation Panel should be referred to regular Visitation Panel for thorough investigation and necessary recommendations.

“The process adopted by the Council in the appointment of Professor Omololu Soyombo as Acting Vice Chancellor of the university was inconsistent with the provisions of the law relating to the appointment of an Acting Vice Chancellor.

“The Governing Council should be dissolved.

“Mr. President after careful review of the report has approved all the recommendations of the panel.

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“Accordingly, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe is hereby reinstated as the Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos.

“The Governing Council of University of Lagos Chaired by Dr. B. O. Babalakin is hereby dissolved,” said a statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Education, Ben-Bem Goong.

It would be recalled that Ogundipe was accused of financial impropriety and gross misconduct. He was removed controversially at a council meeting which took place at the headquarters of the National Universities Commission (NUC) in Abuja.

The relationship between Prof. Ogundipe and Dr. Babalakin became strained about two years ago.

Idowu Sowunmi

November 11, 2020
UNILAG Governing Council Confirms Ogunsola’s Appointment as Acting Vice Chancellor

Governing Council of University of Lagos Tuesday endorsed and confirmed the election of Folasade Ogunsola as the new Acting Vice Chancellor of the 58-year-old institution.

The new vice chancellor is a Professor of Medical Microbiology and had served as the Provost of College of Medicine, University of Lagos.

She was the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Development Services) of the institution until her election as the Acting Vice Chancellor on Monday.

The elected Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Folashade Ogunsola. She is the Provost, College of Medicine and current Deputy Vice Chancellor, Development Services.

The council, led by its Interim Chairman, John Momoh, ratified the appointment at a virtual meeting of the members of the council.

Ogunsola’s ratification took place ahead of tomorrow’s inauguration of a Visitation Panel to probe the affairs of the university from 2017 till date.

The panel is expected to be inaugurated by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, in Abuja on Wednesday.

It would be recalled that Ogunsola was elected on Monday by the Senate following President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention, who directed that the then embattled Vice Chancellor, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, and the former university’s Pro-Chancellor, Wale Babalakin, should step aside for the seven-man panel to review the situation accordingly.

Idowu Sowunmi

August 25, 2020
Buhari Approves Appointment of John Momoh as UNILAG Interim Council Chairman

President Muham Buhari has approved the appointment of the President of University of Lagos Alumni Association Worldwide, John Momoh, as the Chairman of the university’s Interim Governing Council.

UNILAG Senate Votes Folashade Ogunsola as New Acting Vice Chancellor

Momoh, who is Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Channels TV, would among other roles along with council members, ratify the election of the university’s new Acting Vice Chancellor, Folashade Ogunsola.

UNILAG VC spent unapproved N120m, his sack legal – says Babalakin

Ogunsola had emerged victorious with 135 votes, having defeated Prof. Ben Ogbojafor, who scored 31 votes, while one vote was generally described as voided.

Buhari Constitutes UNILAG Visitation Panel, Suspends Babalakin, Ogundipe

The result of the election, Echotitbits gathered, has been forwarded to the Governing Council by the Deputy Registrar/Director of Academic Affairs, Olakunle Makinde.

August 24, 2020
Buhari Constitutes UNILAG Visitation Panel, Suspends Babalakin, Ogundipe

President Muhammadu Buhari Friday constituted a Visitation Panel to look into the crisis at University of Lagos, NTA News has reported.

The President, who is the Visitor to the university, among other decisions mandated the panel to submit its report within two weeks.

Sacked UNILAG VC Withdraws Court Case Against Babalakin, Others

Members of the panel include: Prof. Tukur Sa’ad as the Chairman; Barrister Victor Onuoha as a member, Prof. Ikenna Oyindo member, Prof. Ekanem Braide, member, Prof. Adamu Usman, member, Chief Jimoh Bankole, member; and Barrister Grace Ekanem as Secretary.

NTA report added the Pro-Chancellor, Wale Babalakin, SAN and the Vice Chancellor, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, have been “suspended” from office as they are both to recuse themselves from performing their functions in office during the period of the visitation.

Unilag VC’s removal lacks due process – Vice Chancellors tell Babalakin-led council

Buhari also directed the Senate to convene an urgent meeting and appoint an Acting Vice Chancellor for the university, a directive which practically sacked the Acting Vice Chancellor, Theophilus Soyombo, who was appointed by the Babalakin-led Governing Council.

Idowu Sowunmi

August 22, 2020
Sacked UNILAG VC Withdraws Court Case Against Babalakin, Others

Embattled Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, Friday withdrew the lawsuit filed at the National Industrial Court to challenge his sacking by the Wale Babalakin-led Governing Council.

Ogundipe had filed an action at the National Industrial Court in Suit No: NICN/LA/D18/2020 dated August 14, where he joined University of Lagos, Council, Senate, Wale Babalakin, Registrar, and Acting Vice Chancellor appointed by the Council, Theophilus Soyombo, as defendants in the suit.

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The embattled vice chancellor, in a statement by a member of his legal team, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, said he was no longer going ahead with the legal process which he initiated at the National Industrial Court.

According to him, “Contrary to the falsehood being peddled by mischief makers, the National Industrial Court has never sat or conduct any proceedings in respect of the court case filed by the Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Professor Oluwole Ogundipe.

“No court proceedings ever took place at all and so no decision or ruling has been rendered by the court.

Babalakin-led Governing Council sacks UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ogundipe

“Indeed, upon detailed consultation with all stakeholders and his supporters in and outside the university, Professor Ogundipe directed his lawyer’s to file a notice of discontinuance of the suit and this has been done on August 21, 2020.

“This is to defer to the authority of the President as the Visitor of the university as Professor Ogundipe has enough time to challenge his purported removal.

“This falsehood is being spread to malign the court and blackmail the judiciary by enemies of the rule of law and due process.

UNILAG VC spent unapproved N120m, his sack legal – says Babalakin

“The general public is therefore advised to discountenance these mindless fabrications as the handiwork of those who are afraid of subjecting their illegal acts to the true test of probity and to be wary of fake news being peddled in place of truth, especially as they relate to deliberate manipulation of court proceedings.

“There was no time that the court sat to fix any date for the case.”

Idowu Sowunmi

August 22, 2020
Unilag VC’s removal lacks due process – Vice Chancellors tell Babalakin-led council

The Committee of Vice Chancellors of Universities (CVC) on Friday condemned the controversial sack of the Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos (Unilag), Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.

According to the committee’s Secretary-General, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, who spoke to journalists in Abuja, the sack of Ogundipe was without due process.

The CVC also condemned the appointment of an acting vice chancellor outside the university’s three deputy Vice-Chancellors, said Prof. Ochefu.

“The chairman of the council knows that the tenure of two members of the council has expired, so he waited for the members not to be in council to get the majority vote.

“It is like a hatchet job, we don’t want it to appear like that because of the integrity of University of Lagos.

”The integrity is very high and we don’t want council members to degenerate to that situation.

”As it is now, we have a stalemate and it is looking more in favour of the university senate than the council”.

Recall Echotitbits reported that Unilag’s Governing Council headed by Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN) sackee Ogundipe at its meeting in Abuja on Wednesday over allegations of infractions and gross misconduct.

While the Babalakim-led council went ahead to appoint Prof. Theophilus Omololu Soyombo of the Faculty of Social Sciences the Acting Vice-Chancellor, the institution’s Senate and all its workers unions have condemned Ogundipe’s removal, saying it flouted the university’s regulations.

Siting “extant law of the University”, Prof. Ochefu stated thaty if a vice-chancellor is removed, one of the deputies should be appointed to act.

“Unilag has three deputies, none of them was appointed as acting vice-chancellor but somebody else entirely.

“This is going to pose another problem, senate members will not allow such a person to chair their meeting because they don’t know him within the context of laws establishing universities,” he said.

Ochefu however called on the Unilag Governing Council to tow the part of due process, and make room for the Vice Chancellor, Ogundipe to defend himself of allegations leveled against him.

Ochefu, who stressed that fair hearing remained a fundamental human right, also noted that though the law establishing universities gave the council the power to hire and fire a vice chancellor, it should not be done in an arbitrary process.

“The challenge we have with this particular action is that the university community says the council did not follow due process; indeed, the communication from the embattled vice chancellor is clear and it is to that effect.

“In the procedure for removing a vice chancellor, you have to set up a joint council/senate committee.

”The vice-chancellor will be given the opportunity to defend himself; from there, a submission will be made to the council which will take a decision,” the CVC Secretary-General said.
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August 14, 2020
How Babalakin orchestrates UNILAG VC controversial ‘sack’ and the backlash

A University of Lagos (UNILAG) Senate Representative in Council, Bola Obho has in a statement sighted by Echotitbits, berated Dr. babalakin saying “the University has been stepped on and ridiculed”.

Oboh, in the statement accused Babalakin of not following laid down procedure for removing a VC

According to her: “Babawale Babalakin, the ProChancellor waited for the tenure of Prof. Chukwu and Prof. Familoni to end, to call an Emergency Council meeting.

“Based on the Dagari report, without allowing the VC defend himself, the ProChancellor called for a vote for the removal of the VC. I (Prof. Oboh), Prof. Odukoya, Prof. Leshi and John Momoh voted against the removal of the VC.

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Babalakin-led Governing Council sacks UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ogundipe

“Six persons (excluding Babalakin) voted for Babalakin then went ahead to announce the removal of the VC.

“Dear Senate members, the procedure for removal of persons in office is clear and this was pointed out to Babalakin several times but he turned deaf ears.

“He said he will announce the Ag. Vice Chancellor at 5pm. I have excused myself that I need to report to Senate members the shameful act currently ongoing. Please let us arise to fight this, Oboh’s statment read.

In the same vein, the controversially ‘sacked’ Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, says he remains in office, thereby faulting a decision earlier made by the institution’s Governing Council led by Pro Chancellor Dr. Wale Babalakin.

On Wednesday, it was gathered that seven members of UNILAG’s Governing Council at a meeting that held in Abuja, voted for the Ogundipe’s removal, while four was said to have voted against his removal.

In a statement he personally signed, Ogundipe, who has been at loggerheads with the Pro Chancellor, Babalakin, reacted hours after the news of his sack rent the air.

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“The attention of the University of Lagos (Unilag) management has been drawn to the ‘Notice to the General Public on the Removal of the Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos’; dated August 12, 2020 and signed by Oladejo Azeez, Esq, Registrar and Secretary to Council, stating that the current Vice Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, FAS has been removed from office with immediate effect.

“This is untrue and a figment of his imagination.

“Therefore, stakeholders of Unilag and the general public are advised to disregard this mischievous disinformation about the sitting Vice Chancellor of Unilag, contained in that notice.

“Professor Ogundipe still remains Unilag’s Vice Chancello, the statement read.

August 12, 2020
Babalakin-led Governing Council sacks UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ogundipe

The Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has been sacked by the governing council of the institution.

Ogundipe’s removal was announced during a meeting of the Governing Council of the institution which held at the National Universities Commission (NUC) building in Abuja today, Wednesday.

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Echotitbits gathered that while seven members of the council voted for the removal of Ogundipe, four voted against, and one member voted that he should rather be placed on suspension.

The meeting was presided over by its Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN).

Pro Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Dr. Wale Babalakin

Earlier in the year, the sacked Vice Chancellor and Babalakin, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the institution’s Governing Council were were at loggerheads over the institution’s 51st convocation slated for March 9 to March 12.

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Ogundipe was appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos in November 2017 having emerged highest in the interview conducted, beating Professor Olukayode Amund, and Professor Ayodeji Olukoju to the post. Until his appointment in November of that year, he was the deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos.

August 12, 2020