Babalakin says UNILAG Vice Chancellor’s removal legal

 

…accuses Ogundipe of funds embezzlement, high-handedness

 

Posted by Sade Williams

 

Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Lagos, Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN), on Friday, said the Council followed due process in removing the Vice Chancellor of the University, Pro. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe ,  just as he revealed that he (Ogundipe) embezzled funds meant for the development of the institution, among other allegations.

 

Speaking to journalists at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal two (MMA2), he also dismissed the University’s Senate Meeting which rejected the removal of Ogundipe, saying the meeting was a ‘purported’ one because the person that should convene a normal University Senate meeting is the VC who had been sacked.

According to Babalakin, the Governing Council followed all known laws relating to the removal of a Vice Chancellor, adding that even the UNILAG-Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) position is baseless.

 

“I am a product of the law, I only followed the law, I avoided rabble-rousing, I followed the law. Concerning the Senate position, to me and according to the law, the Senate did not have a meeting because the authority to call a meeting is the VC and at that time, he was no longer the VC so it was a purported meeting.

 

“The confusion is that most of the people don’t know the power of the Governing Council in the removal of a VC, in this case, there was full compliance with the law”, he said.

 

While accusing the Vice Chancellor of serious embezzlement of the institution’s funds, he said Ogundipe renovated his official quarters for N49 million without approval from Council and allocated N41 million to the University Bursar to renovate his residence to cover up.

 

Babalakin, who insisted that there is no crisis in UNILAG said: ‘Professor Ogundipe has been looting the University recklessly, there is misappropriation and direct looting, he was indicted for forging documents. He spent N49 million renovating the VC’s house without approval, he also allocated N41 million to the Bursar just to cover up the deal, he was paying security vote the Dean of Students’ Affairs without the Council’s approval, the budget of UNILAG is not the true and fair reflection of accounts of the University.

 

“When we assumed office, we discovered that the accounts was in taters, the Internally Generated Revenue was badly managed.  I do not collect sitting or travel allowance, I was even giving a lot of money to the University. I was giving N500,000 monthly to my faculty but I stopped it at the 27th month after I discovered that the issue with the University was mismanagement but the VC was given ample time to defend himself, he wasn’t the only one indicted

 

“We are fighting for the interest of the students, the resistance you are seeing is that a group of people is resisting change.  I believe the authority should investigate him, so once these things are sorted out, the University will move forward”, he added.

 

Babalakin also noted that rather than go to court, Ogundipe should have written an appeal to the University’s Visitor, as required by the law.

 

“The law says that when the Vice Chancellor is removed and he wants to complain, he will write an appeal to the Visitor, he cannot institute a suit  against his employer”, he said.