By Ayo Kehinde
Prof Toyin Ogundipe
A joint meeting of the four staff Unions of the University of Lagos, held on Thursday at Akoka campus, Lagos, has condemned what it called “the illegal and purported removal of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Toyin Ogundipe.”
The unions, comprising the local chapters of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU, the National Association of Nigeria Universities, NASU and National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, said the Dr Wale Babalakin led-Council, which carried out the removal did so in violation of the University Act.
According to them, the Council failed to fulfill five conditions that would have conferred legality on its decision.
These conditions are; no notification to the Vice-Chancellor on the allegations against him; no investigation panel was set up to investigate the Vice-Chancellor in line with the University Act; Lack of fair hearing; No formal report from any investigating committee and No consideration of report of an investigation committee since none was not set up as provided for in our law.
“Against this background therefore, the staff unions of University of Lagos, hereby condemn in its totality the purported removal of our Vice-Chancellor Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe as illegal, vexatious, unjust, vindictive and tantamount to jungle justice,” said the group in a statement issued after their meeting and signed by Comrade Dele Ashiru for ASUU, Comrade Olusola Sowunmi for SSANU, Comrade Ajibade Kehinde for NASA, Comrade Tunde Aderibigbe for NASA CMUL, Idi-Araba, Comrade Sulyman Lawal for NAAT and Comrade Ayo Alli for SSANU, CMUL, Idi-Araba.
They declared that the position of the Vice-Chancellor is not vacant and called on “the Minister of Education and the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria University Commission, NUC, to stop this charade and lawlessness being perpetrated by the Dr Wake Babalakin-led University of Lagos Council given its potential for causing disharmony and industrial instability in the University of Lagos.
Meanwhile, the Babalakin-led Council has gone ahead to name a new VC, Prof Theophilus Soyombo in Ogundipe’s place following Wednesday’s removal at a meeting of the Council in Abuja.
