Babalakin resigns as UNILAG’s council chairman
Dr Wale Babalakin, SAN, on Thursday resigned as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Lagos, UNILAG.
His resignation came few hours after the Special Visitation Panel set up by the Federal Government to look into the affairs of the university submitted its report to the Education Minister, Malam Adamu Adamu, in Abuja.
Confirming the development to our correspondent in an interview, the Media Aide to Babalakin, Mr Mikail Mumuni, said his boss had resigned his position in the Council.
It was gathered that his resignation was to preempt the call for him to be sacked from the Council.
Though the government is yet to officially come out with its decisions on the panel’s report, it was learnt that both Babalakin and the embattled Vice-Chancellor, Prof Toyin Ogundipe, may not come back to the office.
Recall that the FG set up the Prof. Sa’ad Tukur-led panel to probe the affairs of the university following an intractable feud between Babalakin and the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Toyin Ogundipe.
The face-off led to the Council removing Ogundipe from office and appointing Professor Omololu Soyombo as the Acting Vice-Chancellor.
The development led to staff unions in the university holding a rally to decry the action and also the Senate of the institution saying Ogundipe’s removal was contrary to university laws and regulations.
Though the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, and the Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU later opted out of the support for Ogundipe.
However, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, stood firm on their resolution.
The Senate of the university later voted in Professor Folasade Ogunsola as the Acting Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG.
The Federal Government, in August, waded in by asking the Wale Babalakin-led Governing Council of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, and the embattled Vice-Chancellor, Prof Toyin Ogundipe, to stay away pending the outcome of a probe into happenings in the school.
The Federal Ministry of Education spokesman, Ben Goong, made this known in a press statement on Friday.
The statement read: “FG directs Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Governing Council of the University of Lagos, Dr B. O. Babalakin and the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin T. O. Ogundipe to recuse themselves from official duties, pending the outcome of the Special Visitation Panel set up by the President.”
This is just as the local chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, through its chairman, Dr Dele Ashiru, lauded the government’s action.