Why UNILAG VC was removed — Babalakin

The recent saga surrounding the University of Lagos (UNILAG), which has culminated in the removal of former Vice-Chancellor Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has received another twist as Dr Wale Babalakin, the Chairman of the University’s governing council, has issued clarifications with regards to why former VC Professor Ogundipe was ousted from office.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria disclosed this in a briefing with newsmen in Ikeja, Daily Times reports. He accused Ogundipe of violating several financial guidelines in the University and called for further investigation into Ogundipe’s alleged financial malfeasance.

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“For instance, Ogundipe, without the approval of the Governing Council, renovated his official quarters for ₦49 million and also approved ₦41 for the Bursar to renovate his own official accommodation too. This against the regulations of the university. “The financial guidelines of the University of Lagos gives the Vice-Chancellor the power to spend not more than ₦2.5 million in some instances without the approval of the Governing Council and anything higher must be brought to the Council for approval.

“That is unacceptable. He must be investigated. We need to do that for us to start building the university. I can tell you that when we probed the account of the university, it was in tatters,” he said. Babalakin also accused Ogundipe of forging university document and manipulating the process for the appointment of the Director of Works of the university. “Under the law of the university, it is the Vice-Chancellor that chairs some committees. There was this vacant position of the Director of Works of the university, and some people applied. Somebody from the Lagos State Polytechnic came first in the selection interview conducted. However, Ogundipe changed the final results of the applicants to favour his own choice.

“But he did not know that some people in the committee had made a photocopy of the results of each applicant and, when he was confronted, he had to cancel everything and make another call for selecting the Director of Works,” he said.

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Babalakin also alleged that Ogundipe was allocating more funds for smoke-screen projects like cleaning the university than funds for the provision of facilities and direct teaching. He argued that these were diversionary tactics by the sacked Vice-Chancellor as a charade to illegally siphon more funds from the University’s purse.

The removal of Professor Ogundipe has not, however, resonated well with the Academic Staff and Non-Academic Staff Unions of the University, who issued a memo, citing relevant sections of the University’s statutory conventions which were breached in the process. Babalakin, in his response, rebuffed the claims of the memo. He explained that the appointment of an Acting VC in the person of Prof Theophilus Omololu Soyombo, was done in line with the regulations of the university and that the Council did not breach any law.