Unilag in dilemma as the university parades two VCs

• Unilag gets new Vice Chancellor
• I remain Unilag VC, disregard news of my removal — Ogundipe

Hours after the removal of Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, the school’s council said it has appointed Professor Theophilus Soyombo in acting capacity, even as Ogundipe is insisting that he is still the Vice Chancellor of the institution.
Crisis brewed on Wednesday when the council resolved at its emergency meeting held in Abuja to sack Ogundipe over allegations of infractions and gross misconduct while Ogundipe fired back, saying his “purported removal” was a “mischievous disinformation” as “the extant provisions of the law have not been complied with” by the council.
It appears the action of the governing council, however, does not have the backing of the law stablishing the university. The law vests the power to remove a vice-chancellor on the Nigerian president.
By the provision, the president of the country can remove the vice-chancellor “after due consultation with the Council and the Senate acting through the Minister of Education.” But a publicist of the ministry said “the ministry is yet to be briefed.”
Regardless of whatever anyone thinks, the council said: “I also wish to use the opportunity to inform members of the public that Council at the said meeting duly appointed Professor of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos as Vice Chancellor of the University in an Acting Capacity,” the university’s registrar and council secretary, Oladejo Azeez, said in a release.
“Members of the public are hereby advised to totally disregard the statement attributed to the said former Vice Chancellor. The position remains that he was lawfully removed by the Governing Council at a meeting fully attended by all Council members,” he added.
Meanwhile, the UNILAG chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities has rejected the Soyombo’s appointment, condemning the purported sack of Ogundipe.
The union’s chairman, Dele Ashiru, insisted Ogundipe remained the union’s recognized head, accusing Babalakin of having vested interest.
“His removal is illegal and uncalled for. Our union condemns in the strongest term the purported removal. It is the machination of the pro-chancellor to destabilise this university and our union has been on the forefront of the agitation against a reckless and lawless pro-chancellor,” Ashiru said.
“We reaffirm our confidence in the leadership of Professor Toyin Ogundipe as Vice Chancellor of the university,” the union’s chairman stressed.
In attendance at the meeting, presided over by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN), were 11 council members, including Ogundipe, where the decision to remove him was put to vote.
The vice chancellor, who has been having a running battle with Babalakin over allegations of financial impropriety and gross misconduct, was removed by a simple majority of seven members at the meeting.
In a letter entitled: ‘Notice to the General Public on the removal of the Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos,’ signed by the Registrar and Secretary to Council, Oladejo Azeez, the university said: “The general public is hereby notified that at an emergency meeting held on Wednesday, August 12, and in accordance with the statutory powers vested in it by law, the governing council of the university has removed Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe from office with immediate effect.
“This decision was based on council’s investigation of serious acts of wrongdoing, gross misconduct, financial recklessness and abuse of office against Prof Ogundipe,” Azeez added.
But Ogundipe debunked the report that the council had sacked him.
In a statement personally signed by him, Ogundipe urged the public to disregard the notice of termination signed by the registrar.
Ogundipe’s statement read in part: “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, dated August 12 and signed by Oladejo Azeez, registrar and secretary to council.
“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 contained in that notice. Professor Ogundipe still remains UNILAG’s VC.”
Procedures for removal of vice chancellor are clearly spelt out in the University (Amendment) Acts, 2003 as follows:
“When the proposal for the removal of the vice-chancellor is made, the Council shall constitute a joint committee of Council and Senate, consisting of three members of the Council, one of whom shall be the chairman of the Committee and two members of’ the Senate, provided that where the ground for removal is infirmity of the body or mind, the Council shall seek appropriate medical opinion.
“The Committee shall conduct investigation into the allegations made against the vice-chancellor and shall report its findings to the Council.
The Council may, where the allegations are proved, remove the vice-chancellor or apply any other disciplinary action it may deem fit and notify the Visitor accordingly provided that a vice-chancellor who is removed shall have right of appeal to the Visitor.
“There shall be no sole administration in any Nigerian university. In any case of a vacancy in the office of the vice-chancellor, the Council shall appoint an acting vice-chancellor on the recommendation of the Senate. An acting vice-chancellor in all circumstances shall not be in office for more than six months”.
The institution’s Senate representative in the council, Prof. Olukemi Odukoya, has risen in support of the vice chancellor and accused the Pro-Chancellor of “actualising his machinery” to remove Ogundipe as VC.