UNILAG Senate stops suit against Babalakin

Mon, Aug 24, 2020
By editor
3 MIN READ

Education

FOLLOWING the directive by the federal government that Wale Babalakin, pro-chancellor of the University of Lagos and Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, suspended vice-chancellor of the university to recuse themselves from official duties, the Senate of the university has filed an application at the National Industrial Court to discontinue a suit challenging the sack of Ogundipe.

The Senate through Prof. Taiwo Osipitan, SAN, its counsel,  prayed the court to declare that Ogundipe’s ouster via an August 12, 2020, letter null and void. The Senate also prayed the court to restrain Soyombo from parading himself as UNILAG acting VC. “Take notice that the claimants in this suit hereby wholly discontinue this suit against the defendants,” Osipitan said.

The defendants in the suit, marked NICN/LA/283/2020, sued the varsity’s Governing Council, Babalakin, the registrar, Oladejo Azeez, Soyomo, and Ogundipe

The decision to withdraw the suit followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention in the crisis which forced both Babalakin, Ogundipe and Soyombo to step aside. Subsequently, an acting vice chancellor in the person of Prof. Folasade Ogunsola was elected by the senate on Monday, August 24.

The current crisis in the institution started when the Governing Council, headed by Babalakin, removed Ogundipe at its meeting in Abuja on August 12, over allegations of infractions and gross misconduct. The council also appointed Prof. Theophilus Soyombo as the acting vice-chancellor.

However, the institution’s Senate and all its workers unions condemned Ogundipe’s removal, saying it flouted the university’s regulations. They all made a vote of confidence on Ogundipe and vowed not to recognise the acting vice-chancellor.

Realnews recalls that there has been a supremacy battle between Babalakin and the university management led by Ogundipe over the lined-up programmes for the institution’s 51st convocation ceremony earlier scheduled in March. The federal government suspended the event indefinitely. Their disagreement started over the choice of the guest speaker at the convocation.

The school had initially settled for a former Ghanaian president as the speaker for the convocation lecture who later wrote to express his unavailability during the period. It was based on the development that the management settled for the communications minister.

But the Babalakin-led council faulted the university’s choice of a guest speaker without the knowledge of the council. They also could not agree on the awardees meant to be conferred with honorary degrees.

Babalakin had earlier had a running battle with the university management over contracts and projects’ implementation resulting in the indictment of some serving and retired principal officers of the institution.

– Aug. 24, 2020 @ 19:25 GMT |

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