The Federal Government has denied reports that a Presidential University Visitation Panel has indicted the management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), on allegations of misappropriation of funds and maladministration.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Mr Sunny Echeono, denied the claims on Monday at a news conference in Abuja.
He explained that the latest report by the University Visitation Panel has nothing to do with the Special Presidential Visitation Panel that was set up by President Muhammadu Buhari in August 2020, to address the crisis in UNILAG.
Echeono stated that there was a crisis at the university in 2020 and a special presidential visitation panel was set up with very specific terms of reference.
“Most of the ideas dealt with were issues of process. The panel submitted their report, the government considered their report and issued a white paper, and we have implemented the white paper for the Special Presidential Visiting Panel.
“The Governing Council was dissolved, the vice-chancellor was reinstated; we have gone ahead subsequently to reappoint and inaugurate a new governing council,” he said.
According to the permanent secretary, the government does not set up another panel to review the work of a previous panel, except where it outrightly rejects the report of such panel.
“It is not done in government anywhere,” said Echeono who insisted that the indictment claims were false.
