UNILAG: Another Council member resigns

A member of the Governing Council of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Mr. Bayo Adaralegbe has also resigned from his position joining the former Council chairman, Dr. Wale Babalakin.

Adaralegbe who works at Babalakin’s Chambers tendered his resignation to the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu on Friday, stating that his continued stay would dishonour his late father, Prof. Adeniji Adaralegbe’s memory.

Adaralegbe is one of the Federal Government appointees on the Council who were staunch supporters of Babalakin.

In the letter, Adaralegbe praised Babalakin’s contributions to the University while accusing the former Vice-chancellor removed by the Babalakin-led Council, Prof. Toyin Ogundipe of threatening to beat him up over alleged falsification of interview results.

He said: “Dr Babalakin provided very strong moral leadership as Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Council. He kept scrupulously to the promise he made at our maiden Council meeting not to bid for, or be awarded contracts from the University. He actually did more. By December 2019 he had poured approximately N100 millions of his own personal resources on different endeavors in the University. At the time this situation arose, he was in the process of transferring to the University (at no cost to it) 40 hectares of land he owned in Ogudu, Lagos to address its staff housing problems.

Those of us federal government appointees followed his strong moral leadership.”

He continued: “Recent developments have, unfortunately, made my continued stay on the Governing Council of the University of Lagos very untenable. I experienced first-hand, the Vice Chancellor of a University falsifying interview results for the position of Director of Works. Professor Toyin Ogundipe threatened to beat me up during an interview session for the position of Director of Works because I resisted his attempt to falsify interview results. It was also in University of Lagos that I experienced a Vice Chancellor attempting to appoint a Professor in respect of a discipline that the University did not have a department, did not admit undergraduate or postgraduate students, and through a one page Memorandum to the Pro-Chancellor that touted the candidate as an “agent of change.” This is of course apart from a litany of corrupt practices.

“I consider my continued stay on the Governing Council of University of Lagos, a serious dishonor and desecration of my late father’s memory, Professor Adeniji Adaralegbe.”

Adaralegbe also denied claims that he got his Council role by claiming to be from another state.

As a Council member, Adaralegbe said he sought no material benefits from the University.

“Aside a Samsung Telephone set, an Ipad device and the sum as sitting allowance per meeting, I did not in any way benefit materially, directly or through third parties from University of Lagos, certainly a rarity by today’s Nigerian standard (unless of course one wants to add the admission of a few candidates that I requested from the University management). Our Council took its work very seriously. We served very selflessly, very diligently and worked extremely hard to manage the scarce resources of the University and improve its standing.”