The crisis rocking the University of Lagos, UNILAG, took a new turn at the weekend as the Chairman of the Governing Council, Dr Wale Babalakin, SAN, gave reasons for why the former vice chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe was removed.
While the local branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Universities in Nigeria, CVC, faulted the action of the Council.
Babalakin, who briefed newsmen in Ikeja. Lagos, accused Ogundipe of trampling upon all financial guidelines in the university, he also called for the investigation of Ogundipe by appropriate agencies of government.
Babalakin, who reeled out a long list of misconduct against Ogundipe, accused him of not following abiding rules and regulations regarding the management resources of the university.
While addressing newsmen, Babalakin said, “Ogundipe, without the approval of the Governing Council, renovated his official quarters for N49 million and also approved N41 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 N2.5 million in some instances without the approval of the Governing Council and anything higher must be brought to the Council for approval.”
He added, “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”.
Babalakin also accused Ogundipe of forging university document and manipulating the process for the appointment of the Director of Works of the university.
Babalakin revealed to the newsmen, “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 made another call for selecting the Director of Works”.
Babalakin also alleged that Ogundipe was allocating more funds for miscellaneous issues like cleaning the university than funds for provision of facilities and direct teaching.
This, he argued, was to create loopholes to siphon money from the university.
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