All staff unions in the University of Lagos,Thursday expressed support for the embattled Vice Chancellor, of the university,Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, expressing displeasure over his removal by the Governing Council.
The workers, under the aegis of the Joint Staff Union, JSU, made this known at a Congress they held to state their position on the announcement by the Council, led by Dr Wale Babalakin, SAN, that Ogundipe ceased to be the VC of the school as from Wednesday, this week.
The staff unions are the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, and the Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU.
The workers, through their leaders, also endorsed a statement, condemning the removal of Ogundipe by the Council.
The signatories were: Chairman, ASUU, Dr Dele Ashiru, Chairman, SSANU, Comrade Olusola Sowunmi, Chairman, NASU, Comrade Ajibade Kehinde, Chairman, NAAT, Comrade Sulyman Lawal, Chairman, NASU, College of Medicine, Idi Araba, Comrade Tunde Aderibigbe and Secretary, SSANU, CMUL, Idi Araba,
Comrade Ayo Alli.While all the union leaders addressed the Congress, they voiced their opposition to the development, saying it could set a bad precedence in the university system.
“The University of Lagos is the first university in Nigeria to be set up through an Act of Parliament and that is why we have the University of Lagos Act 1962. The Act stipulates how the university is to be run. It spells out how to discipline any errant officer. In this case, all the procedures listed for disciplining officers were not followed.
“This is not a Banana Republic and even a junior clerk in the university should not be treated that way. We are not in Oshodi Market where somebody can turn himself into an idol to be worshipped. When Dr Wale Babalakin was appointed the Chairman of the Governing Council, being an alumnus of the school, our hopes were that he would use his good offices to make the institution better, but the reverse is the case,” Ashiru stated.
Culled from Vanguard Newspaper.
