News - South West - Lagos
Updated: September 17, 2020

UNILAG Crisis: Babalakin Resigns As Pro-Chancellor

By Zaccheus Ukhueleigbe
September 17, 2020
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The University of Lagos (UNILAG) crisis takes a new twist as Dr. Wale Babalakin, the Pro-Chancellor resigns.

AllNews learnt that Babalakin stepped down as Pro-Chancellor on Thursday citing bias from the Federal Government’s Visitation Panel.

Babalakin's resignation is coming a few hours after a Presidential Visitation Panel set up by the President, Muhammadu Buhari, to look into the crisis that led to the removal of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, submitted its report on Thursday.

Recall that Babalakin-led Governing Council had sacked the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe from office over alleged corruption and other allegations.

Ogundipe took the matter to court and the Federal Government had to wade in by setting up a Presidential Visitation Panel to look into the crisis rocking the institution.

In a letter of resignation to the president, Babalakin said; “After calm had been restored in the University, the Visitor acting within his powers, set up a Presidential Visitation Panel to review the actions taken by Governing Council.

“The Vice-Chancellor (who had been removed from office) and myself were told to recuse ourselves for the duration of the Visitation Panel.

“I find it difficult to understand how a non-executive Chairman of a Governing Council could be requested to recuse himself during the visitation,”

“As stated earlier, the Vice-Chancellor was removed for various reasons and not just as a result of the findings contained in the Dagari Report. Items (b) and (c) were directed at the Pro-Chancellor and Governing Council.

“Unfortunately, those items deal with the interpretation of the laws of the land. The appropriate forum to determine the laws of the land is a court of law or a judicial tribunal. It cannot be determined by academics of a different discipline no matter how distinguished. These terms of reference are ultra-vires the Visitation Panel as constituted,” he said.

Babalakin stated the membership of the Presidential Visitation Panel was simply inappropriate in the circumstance, asking: “How can a committee of Vice-Chancellors determine the culpability or otherwise of the actions of a Pro-Chancellor and a Governing Council?

“On the face of it, it is simply wrong! Furthermore, the Vice-Chancellors on the Panel were drawn from relatively smaller universities who are not likely to have a comprehensive understanding of the procedure contained in the University of Lagos Act (as amended).

“Even Vice-Chancellors of state universities were included. As Chairman of the Federal Government Negotiation Team, I know the challenges faced with the administration of state universities.

“I only appeared before the Panel out of my very great respect for you, Sir. My training as a lawyer revealed to me very clearly, that the Panel was inappropriate for the assignment."

Babalakin said during his appearance, he made it very clear that he was appearing in protest and that the Panel, as constituted, could not determine the issues before it.