The federal government has appointed the Chairman and CEO of Channels TV, John Momoh, as acting chairman of the governing council of the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
Momoh’s appointment was sequel to the removal of Wale Babalakin, SAN from the position over the crisis rocking the university.
The federal government had on Friday directed Babalakin and the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, to step aside pending the outcome of Special Visitation Panel set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to look into the matter.
The Babalakin – led Governing Council, had on August 12, announced the removal of Ogundipe as Vice-Chancellor over alleged financial misappropriation and misconduct.
However, Ogundipe, backed by the University’s Senate, alumni and labour unions, rejected the Council’s directive, insisting that due process was not followed.
Senate members of the university on Monday elected Professor Folashade Ogunsola as the acting Vice Chancellor (VC) of the institution.
The new acting VC was the provost of the College of Medicine as well as the Chairman of the National Association of Colleges of Medicine in Nigeria.
A letter dated August 21, 2020, and signed by the permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education, Sonny Echono, directed Momoh to convene an emergency meeting of the council to “consider and, if found suitable, approve the senate nomination of the acting Vice-Chancellor for University of Lagos, in line with the enabling Act.”
The letter read in parts; “You are to preside at the meeting in the absence of the substantive pro-chancellor/chairman of council who has had to recuse himself in line with the visitor’s directive.
“You are to also submit a report on the decision of the council to the visitor through the honourable minister of education immediately thereafter.”