THE four staff unions in the University of Lagos have rejected and condemned as illegal the removal of the vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Toyin Ogundipe by the university’s council on Wednesday.
The unions; Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), in a statement released after a joint meeting at the University of Lagos, Akoka, on Thursday, 13th August, 2020 unanimously stated that the removal of Prof. Ogundipe as “violently and most lawlessly violate the law of the of the University of Lagos.”
While expressing surprise at the action of the UNILAG Council’s action under the chairmanship of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in the removal of the Vice-Chancellor, the unions further stated that in according with the University of Lagos Act, laws and practice of other universities not only in Nigeria but in other civilized climes, a principal officer cannot just be removed on flimsy excuses without regard to laws.
The statement reads in part: “Our Unions are surprised that a Council constituted by law and chaired by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) could have violently and most lawlessly violated the law of the University of Lagos in the said removal of our Vice-Chancellor.
“According to the University of Lagos Act, laws and practice of other Universities not only in Nigeria but in other civilized climes, a principal officer cannot just be removed on flimsy excuses without regard to laws.”
The four unions, in the statement signed by Comrade ’Dele Ashiru (ASUU Chairman), Comrade Olusola Sowunmi (SSANU Chairman), Comrade Ajibade Kehinde (NASU Chairman), Comrade Sulyman Lawal, (NAAT Chairman), Comrade Tunde Aderibigbe, (Chairman NASU CMUL, Idi-Araba), and Comrade Ayo Alli, Secretary, SSANU, Idi-Araba); asserted that the removal of Prof Ogundipe is illegal on the following grounds: (i) that there was no notification to the Vice-Chancellor on the allegations against him, (ii) that no investigation panel was set-up to investigate the allegations against him in line with the University of Lagos Act, (iii) for lack of fair hearing; (iv) that there was no formal report from any investigative committee; (v) that there was no consideration of report of an investigative committee; and (vi) there was no consideration of report of an investigative committee since none was set-up as provided for in the University of Lagos Act.
The unions therefore stated: “Against the foregoing background, the staff unions of the University of Lagos, hereby condemn in its totality the purported removal of our Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin as illegal, vexatious, unjust, vindictive and tantamount to jungle justice. We therefore affirm our absolute confidence in the leadership of Prof. Toyin Ogundipe as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos.
“Therefore, the position of the Vice-Chancellor of University of Lagos is not vacant.
“Our unions is [sic] is using this medium to call on the Minister of Education and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) to stop this charade and lawlessness being perpetrated by the Dr. Wale Babalakin-led University of Lagos Council given its potentials for causing disharmony and industrial instability in the University of Lagos.
“We take this opportunity to call on all our members and other stakeholders in the University of Lagos to continue to maintain peace and go about their normal businesses with the assurances that the Federal Government of Nigeria will stop this illegality in the interest of the rule of law and justice without further delay.”
