The Federal Government on Friday directed the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos, Wale Babalakin, and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe to recuse themselves from official duties, pending the outcome of the Special Visitation Panel set up by the President.
President Muhammadu Buhari, as Visitor to the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has constituted a Visitation Panel to look into the crisis in the university.
This decision was disclosed in a press statement signed by the Federal Ministry of Education spokesman, Ben Goong.
The President took the following additional decisions:
i. The Panel is to submit its report within two weeks.
ii. The Pro-Chancellor, Dr Wale Babalakin, SAN and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor 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.
iii. The Senate is to convene urgently and appoint an Acting Vice-Chancellor for the university.
Therefore, with this decision, the President has sacked the Acting Vice-Chancellor purportedly appointed by the Babalakin-led Council.
Babalakin’s Governing Council had, on August 12, sacked Ogundipe as Vice-Chancellor over alleged financial misappropriation and misconduct.
Professor Ogundipe, vehemently rejected the Council’s decision, saying the University’s due process had not been followed.
The University’s Senate, alumni, and labour unions also put out statements saying the due process had not been followed.
But Babalakin, in several media reactions, insisted that due process had been complied with in terminating Ogundipe’s appointment and appointed an acting Vice-Chancellor to the University
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