The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, says he has not been sacked by the university’s head by its governing council.
The university’s governing council on Wednesday, through its secretary and university registrar, Oladejo Azeez, said the council suspended Mr Ogundipe during an emergency meeting held in Abuja.
“This decision was based on Council’s investigation of serious acts of wrongdoing, gross misconduct, financial recklessness and abuse of office against Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, FAS,” Mr Azeez wrote in a circular released thereafter.
Mr Ogundipe, however, in a counter-statement after the announcement told the public to disregard the council’s statement.
He described the announcement as mischievous and a figment of the imagination of the council.
“The attention of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) management has been drawn to the ‘Notice to the General Public on the Removal of the Vice-Chancellor University of Lagos’ dated August 12, 2020, and signed by Oladejo Azeez, Esq, Registrar and Secretary to Council, stating that the current Vice-Chancellor Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, FAS has been removed from office with immediate effect.
“This is untrue and a figment of his imagination. Therefore, stakeholders of UNILAG and the general public are advised to disregard this mischievous disinformation about the sitting Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, contained in that notice. Professor Ogundipe still remains Unilag’s Vice-Chancellor” he wrote.
Disagreements between the university’s governing council and the management worsened in March when its week-long 2020 convocation was abruptly cancelled just before it started.
The cancellation, which was ordered by the NUC, Nigerian universities’ regulatory body, was in response to a directive by the education minister, Adamu Adamu.
Mr Adamu gave the directive in response to a letter written to the vice-chancellor by the council chairman, accusing Mr Ogundipe of failing to share important details about the ceremony with the council.
Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Education (FMoE) said it has not been briefed on Ogundipe’s purported removal from office by the Governing Council of the university.
Spokesperson of the FMoE, Ben Goong, said this in a statement in Abuja.
The statement noted that while the ministry awaits proper briefing from the university authorities, it must be reaffirmed that the council has the power to hire and fire.
The statement, however, said that due process must be followed in doing so.
It reads, “My dear colleagues, the Federal Ministry of Education wishes to state that it is yet to be briefed on the developments at the University of Lagos regarding the purported removal of the VC.
“While the Ministry awaits for the proper briefing from the university authorities, it is important to reaffirm that council has the power to hire and fire but that due process must be followed in doing so.”
