UNILAG senate, staff unions kick as governing council appoints acting VC

The Senate of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has described as illegal, the purported removal of Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe from office as Vice-Chancellor of the institution by the Governing Council saying the laid down procedures were not followed.

It also rejected the appointment of Professor Theophilus Omololu Soyombo as acting Vice-Chancellor while it unanimously passed vote-of-no confidence in the governing council.

• UNILAG Senate rejects Soyombo’s appointment, says Ogundipe remains VC
• UNILAG appoints Acting Vice Chancellor

The Governing Council of the University led by Wale Babalakin had at an emergency meeting on Wednesday removed Ogundipe from office as VC with immediate effect, accusing him of wrongdoing, gross misconduct, financial recklessness and abuse of office.

Professor Soyombo of the Faculty of Social Sciences was thereafter announced as the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University by the governing council.

His appointment was disclosed in a statement issued yesterday by the University Registrar and Secretary to Council, Oladejo Azeez.

The embattled VC, Prof. Ogundipe had also described his purported removal as illegality that cannot stand; insisting that he remains the Vice-Chancellor of University of Lagos while workers also organised a solidarity march in his support.

He also on Thursday  went to work in the office of the VC in spite of his purported removal from office by the governing council of the institution.

The Senate in a meeting anchored by the former Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Chioma Ago and attended by over 80 members unanimously agreed that due process has not been followed and as such, the purported removal of Prof. Ogundipe has no legal effect.

A joint meeting of the four Staff Unions of the institution including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) called for the reversal of the sack of the VC, Prof. Ogundipe.