Buhari Ogunpipe Babalakin

President Muhammadu Buhari has suspended the Pro-chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Wale Babalakin, and the vice-chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.

Recall that the Babalakin-led Governing Council removed Professor Ogundipe from his role as vice-chancellor of the university on Wednesday, August 12, 2020.

However, Professor Ogundipe kicked against his removal and released a statement, stating that he remained the VC. 

The Governing Council, on their part, appointed Professor Theophilus Soyombo as acting VC, a decision which the UNILAG chapter of Academic Staff Union of University rejected

In a new twist to the developing situation, President Buhari has stepped in to set up a special visitation panel to look into the circumstances that led to Ogundipe’s removal as VC. He has also asked the pro-chancellor and vice-chancellor to step aside from their official duties until the panel concludes its investigation.

Spokesman of the Ministry of Education, Ben Goong, revealed this on Friday, August 21, 2020.

The president expects the panel to complete their investigation and submit a report within two weeks. The panel will look into the events that culminated into the removal of Ogundipe as VC and find out if it followed due process, among other things.

According to information retrieved from various news sources, the panel is chaired by Tukur Sa’ad, former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna. Its members include Victor Onuoha, Ikenna Oyindo, Ekanem Braide, Adamu Usman, and Jimoh Bankole.

The president also instructed the Senate to convene and nominate an acting VC from its members, who will be confirmed by the governing council. This confirms the removal of Professor Soyombo as acting VC. 

Whoever is appointed as the new acting VC will manage the affairs of the university until the government reaches a resolution.

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