University of Lagos (UNILAG) Senate and the institution’s four workers unions have urged the federal government to dissolve the Governing Council owing to the purported sack of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe on Wednesday.
On the same day, the embattled Vice Chancellor Prof. Ogundipe, has approached the court to contest his removal from office by the university governing board.
Ogundipe, the Nation reports, has briefed leading constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN, to commence the suit to and challenge his alleged illegal removal from office and redress the wrong done to him.
The Senate and the four unions have rejected the appointment of an Acting Vice-chancellor to replace Ogundipe, and called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Education Minister and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to intervene in the matter with a view to reversing the wrongful removal of the VC.
At an emergency meeting on Wednesday attended by about 88 Senate members and presided by a former Dean, Faculty of Law, Prof. Chioma Agomo, the Senate passed vote of confidence on Ogundipe, stating that it had lost faith in the Council led by Dr. Wale Babalakin and therefore demanded its dissolution for not following due process in the removal of the VC.
“Unanimously without a single dissention we agreed that due process has not been followed; that the purported removal of our Vice-Chancellor has no legal effect because there are laid down procedures. Therefore the Senate passes vote of confidence in our Vice Chancellor and we do not recognise anything otherwise.
“Secondly, Senate has also unanimously agreed that it had lost confidence completely in the present Council of the University of Lagos. We had more than a third of members that attended the meeting at short notice and we agreed that we have lost confidence in the Pro-Chancellor, we have lost confidence in the Council,” the Nation quoted Agomo to have said.
The Senate is to present its resolutions to the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja.
During a joint Congress of workers of the University that followed, leaders of the four unions, – the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) affirmed confidence in Ogundipe who joined them towards the end.
Addressing the Congress, ASUU Chairman Dr Dele Ashiru said the union would not accept an Acting VC.
“The four unions of the University, ASUU, SSANU, ASUU, NASU and NAAT, we rose from a meeting to condemn in totality the purported, illegal, reckless, and questionable, unwarranted removal of the University of Lagos. We affirm our confidence in the leadership of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.
“Let me send a word of advice to any surrogate Vice Chancellor where ever he may be. This university is not a Jankara republic where village chiefs are appointed by fiat.
“Anybody who is dreaming to become Vice Chancellor should wait until the end of the tenure of Prof. Ogundipe, apply properly and if qualified will be appointed VC. To think that anybody will become Vice Chancellor by kangaroo factor, paddy-paddy arrangement will not work in this university,” he said.
In a brief remark to the Congress, Ogundipe called for peace and urged the workers to keep investing in the institution.
“We are all builders. We have invested years into this university. It will be 30 years that I have been working at the University of Lagos this year.