Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe insists he remains the substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos.
Earlier today, the governing council of the University at a meeting in Abuja and voted for the removal of Ogundipe as the Vice-Chancellor of the University. The meeting was presided over by Wale Babalakin, pro-chancellor and chairman of the council, and was held at the National Universities Commission (NUC) headquarters in Abuja. The council accused Ogundipe of acts of wrongdoing, gross misconduct, financial recklessness and abuse of office.
Ogundipe 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 statement which was signed by Ogundipe on Wednesday August 12, reads
“The attention of the University of Lagos 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,” the statement read.
The purported removal is an illegality and cannot stand as it is in clear violation of the University of Lagos Act, as amended.
Assuming without conceding, that the purported removal is true, the extant provisions of the law have not been complied with.
For with the avoidance of doubt, the University Act states that: ‘if it appears to the Council that there are reasons for believing that the Vice Chancellor… should be removed from his office… on the grounds of misconduct or inability to perform the functions of his office… the Council shall… a. Give notice of those reasons to the person in question; b. Make arrangements: For a joint committee of the Council and the Senate to investigate the matter where it relates to the Vice Chancellor… and to report on it to the Council….
Therefore, stakeholders of UNILAG and the general public are advised to disregard this mischievous disinformation about the sitting Vice Chancellor of UNILAG.
Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, FAS still remains the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos.”
