The University of Lagos is back in the news. And the news is not too palatable to many people who thought the disagreement between the Pro-Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor that resulted in the cancellation of the university’s convocation in March would have been resolved by now.
Happenings this week showed that the matter was left to fester and the supervising organs and authorities have done little or nothing to stop the fight between Pro-Chancellor Wale Babalakin and Vice-Chancellor Toyin Ogundipe.
On Wednesday 12th August, the institution’s Governing Council chaired by Babalakin sacked Professor Ogundipe as Unilag Vice-Chancellor.
The announcement of his sack was made after a meeting of the Governing Council of the institution which took place at the National Universities Commission (NUC) building in Abuja. Feelers from the meeting indicated that seven members voted for the removal of the VC while four voted against it. One of the members voted that he should instead be placed on suspension.
Unilag’s Registrar and Secretary to Council, Mr. Oladejo Azeez said in the statement of removal of the VC that the decision was based on ‘serious acts of wrong doing, gross misconduct, financial recklessness and abuse of office’ by Professor Ogundipe.
Following the removal of the Vice-Chancellor, the Council followed up with the appointment of Professor Theophilus Soyombo of the Faculty of Social Sciences as the Vice-Chancellor in an Acting Capacity.
The Registrar told members of the public to disregard a claim by Professor Ogundipe, that he remained the VC. Ogundipe had issued and signed a memo to the University community, refuting the claim of his sack, Professor Ogundipe, saying that his purported removal was an act of illegality and could not stand because it clearly violated the ‘UNILAG Act as amended by the universities (miscellaneous provisions) amendment Act, 2003’.
Ogundipe told members of the UNILAG community and the general public to disregard the sack information, insisting that he is still the Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG.
Following up on his memo, the sacked Vice-Chancellor on Thursday filed a suit to challenge his purported removal from office. He stated that the act of the Governing Council of the university “purportedly removing” him from office was “illegal and unconstitutional”, adding that it was “carried out without due process and contrary to the University Act and other extant laws governing discipline, suspension and removal of the Vice-Chancellor of the university”.
Pro-Chancellor
Meanwhile, many organisations and individuals have weighed in on the imbroglio at Unilag, with some like the Academic and Non-Academic Staff Unions of Universities of Unilag and the institution’s Senate saying the Governing Council lacks power to sack the VC. Even the students have reacted to the situation.
Also, Professors Olukemi Odukoya, and Bola Oboh, who represent the university Senate on the Governing Council of the university say the Council did not follow due process in its action, saying that Prof. Ogundipe was not given an opportunity to defend himself on accusations levelled against him.
Unilag ASUU Chairman, Dr. Dele Ashiru, also posited that the process of removing the VC so was full of illegality and therefore would not stand. He said that ASUU, as a union had confidence in the leadership style of Professor Ogundipe and any attempt to remove him unjustly, would be resisted by the lecturers, maintaining that ‘Babalakin cannot impose anybody on UNILAG and any attempt to do so will be resisted’.
The acting Chairman of Unilag’s Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Mr. Olusola Sowunmi, on his part, said the union was still studying the two memos and all events as they unfold.
However, the Federal Ministry of Education, in its reaction to the confusion in Unilag explained that the Governing Council can hire and fire anybody in the university system, although it said that it had not been briefed on the purported removal of the Vice-Chancellor of Unilag.
The spokesperson of the ministry, Ben Goong, said in a statement in Abuja that ‘While the Ministry awaits for the proper briefing from the university authorities, it is important to reaffirm that council has the power to hire and fire, but that due process must be followed in doing so”.
Yesterday, there were reports of tight security in Unilag as the Senate of the university met to discuss the developments in the institution.
The umbrella body of university Vice-Chancellors – the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Universities in Nigeria – in its own reaction, also called on the Unilag Governing Council to follow due process in the removal of the Vice-Chancellor and provide the University head the opportunity to defend himself.
The Secretary-General of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors, Prof. Yakubu Aboki Ochefu confirmed to the Voice of Nigeria in Abuja that the law establishing universities gives the governing council the power to hire and fire a Vice-Chancellor, but not in an arbitrary process.
On the appointment of a new VC, he said the new appointment in Unilag will pose a problem to the university in this case because the extant laws of the University state that if a Vice-Chancellor is removed, one of the deputies should be appointed to act. “The council has gone ahead to announce a new VC. The extant laws state that one of his deputies should be appointed to act. UNILAG has three deputy Vice-Chancellors, none of them was appointed as the acting VC and somebody else entirely was appointed. This is going to pose another problem because Senate will not allow such a person to chair their meeting because they don’t know him within the context of laws establishing universities” Prof Ochefu said.
The Unilag crisis began in March with the postponement of the 2020 convocation. The 51st Convocation ceremonies would have commenced on Monday 9th March 2020, to end on Thursday 12th March.
A total of 13,489 graduates were scheduled to receive degrees, diplomas and certificates during the planned convocation. The university, graduands and their parents as well as other stakeholders were set for the four-day event which is usually a celebration, especially for the young ones who take it as their passport to the real world.
Instead, news came via a terse statement by Oladejo Azeez, UNILAG Registrar, announcing the postponement.
Many stakeholders and the general public considered the postponement notice quite strange because a few days earlier, Vice-Chancellor Ogundipe, had addressed the media where he outlined the programme for the four-day convocation ceremonies.
Several reasons were put forward by different groups, except the two main factions directly concerned, who did not publicly say anything to explain the reasons and their differences. There was obviously a power show between Pro-Chancellor Wale Babalakin and Vice-Chancellor Ogundipe.
What was clear, though, was that there was an unresolved power tussle between the two men which had not been resolved. Dr. Babalakin claimed not to be aware of the 51st Convocation programme as announced by the VC to the media and he petitioned the Federal Government over the matter. The Federal Ministry of Education is said to have directed the National Universities Commission to advise the Unilag management to postpone the ceremonies, without seeming to ask for the management’s side of the story.
From all that has happened this week, the sore had still been left to fester and we are where we are now – a disgraceful public fight where no one will emerge winner. Instead the university community is a laughing stock to all, in this seeming ego battle that has now polarised the university. Meanwhile, 2020 convocation is still on hold.
Unilag, a leading and highly ranked university deserves better than this.
We ask again – where are the Visitor to Unilag, the Chancellor, the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission, the Alumni Association?
IMAGE CREDIT: unilag.edu.ng
Epa Ogie, this is my little submission on the ongoing power show in Unilag between the Pro Chancellor and the Vice Chancellor that has now resulted in the purported sack of the Vice Chancellor. True, the rumblings started much earlier as was widely reported in the media, but the bottom line here is to ask, was due process followed in the removal of the Vice Chancellor? This question is very important because not only is the Pro Chancellor an eminent lawyer who is also the son of an eminent judge now in retirement but also bearing in mind that the procedure for the removal of a Vice Chancellor is clearly spelt out in the University statute. So going forward, it would appear that some errors may have been committed which would invariably render the whole exercise of removing the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos an exercise in futility. I say this for two reasons, the first one being that two internal members of the Governing Council have openly complained that due process was not followed, and the second one is that the University law was not followed in appointing the acting Vice Chancellor. It would thus appear then, that the very learned Pro Chancellor seemed to be settling personal scores rather than address issues that will move Unilag forward. As at now, it is very clear that things have fallen apart in Unilag and the centre cannot hold anymore. The Senate has come out in support of the embattled Vice Chancellor and have stated that the removal was illegal and therefore of no effect. So then, we may have to deal with a scenario with two Vice Chancellors presiding over the affairs of Unilag at the same time, which is clearly a recipe for anarchy…