Pro-chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and chairman of governing council Wale Babalakin has said that due process was followed in the removal of Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe as vice-chancellor of the institution.
Since Ogundipe’s removal was announced on Wednesday, several bodies have condemned the method used in removing the vice-chancellor.
Mr Babalakin however told journalists at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja on Friday that the “focal minority” opposed to Ogundipe’s removal benefitted from the alleged corruption under him.
“The confusion is that most people don’t know how governing council operates. There was full compliance of the law in the removal of Prof Ogundipe,” he said.
“The issue has been lingering on for a long time. Series of attempts were made to reconcile but the VC was not forthcoming… a focal minority, who are benefiting from the corruption in UNILAG which has become cultural.
Due process was followed in the removal of Ogundipe. After the council committee indicted the VC, he wrote his defence in May and spoke for one hour. His sack was done in accordance with UNILAG law.”
It was learnt that some governing council members opted for secret ballot in casting their votes on whether Ogundipe should be allowed to continue in his position or not.
Babalakin said under UNILAG laws, voting can be done in a secret or open ballot.
“The votes were counted with each council members’ comments. Everyone voted, they didn’t just vote, but they made comments and I read out all the comments,” he said.
Go and read the law, what the law said is that when a Vice-Chancellor is removed and you have a complaint, you will write an appeal to the visitor. He cannot on his own, declare that he has not been removed as Ogundipe has done. He cannot on his own confront his employers. In law, he has resigned because if you challenge your employer and you are still in his employment, you have actually left.
The weakness of Ogundipe is that his legal advisers have not done a very thorough job. There is no stalemate and there is no chaos in the university because the law would take its course. It is not in the place of the removed VC to say he has not been removed. He cannot be a judge in his own court.
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“He cannot on his own declare that he has not been removed. He cannot on his own decide to confront his employer.”
Babalakin further alleged that Ogundipe has been looting the university “recklessly”.
The former VC spent N49 million renovating his house. Under the process, this has to be done with approval from the council, he sought no approval. To cover-up, he gave the bursar N41 million to renovate his official residence. The official residence of the bursar can be built for N41 million from the scratch, this was what was spent on renovation,” he said.
