The federal government has asked the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos, Wale Babalakin, and embattled Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe to recuse themselves from official duties, pending the outcome of the Special Visitation Panel set up by the President Muhammadu Buhari.
The directive was contained in a press statement by the spokesman of the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Goong on Friday.
Checks revealed that the visitation panel set up by the president was given two weeks to submit its report, while the Senate of the university was asked to reconvene to appoint an acting vice chancellor.
The statement by Goong read “FG directs Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Governing Council of the University of Lagos, Dr. B. O. Babalakin and the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin T. O. Ogundipe to recuse themselves from official duties, pending the outcome of the Special Visitation Panel set up by the President.
Recall that the institution’s Governing Council, led by Babalakin had sacked Ogundipe at its meeting in Abuja on August 12, over allegations gross misconduct.
In Ogundipe’s place, the council appointed Prof. Theophilus Omololu Soyombo of the Faculty of Social Sciences as the Acting Vice-Chancellor.
The suit, marked NICN/LA/278/2020, had as defendants: UNILAG; the varsity’s Council; its Senate; Pro-Chancellor, Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN); Registrar, Oladejo Azeez; and Soyombo, who was appointed acting VC in the wake of Ogundipe’s controversial sacking.
A member of his legal team, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) had in a statement said the embattled VC had in deference to President Buhari as the visitor to the university decided to discontinue the case.
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