President Muhammadu Buhari has dissolved the University of Lagos Governing Council led by Wale Babalakin and reinstated Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe as the Vice-Chancellor of the institution.
Spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Gooong, confirmed Ogundipe’s reinstatement on Wednesday in a statement.
He said the president took the steps with hopes to bring permanent peace, stability, focus and direction to the University.
According to the statement, the president believed that the initial removal of Mr Ogundipe by the dissolved governing council did not follow due process.
“The Vice Chancellor was not granted an opportunity to defend himself on the allegations upon which his removal was based. He should accordingly be re-instated,” he said.
Recall that on August 12 Ogundipe was controversially removed as the vice-chancellor by the Wale Babalakin-led governing council of the university.
Balakin thereafter appointed Prof Omololu Soyombo to replace Ogundipe while he (Ogundipe) insisted he was still the VC. The President at that point stepped in and directed both Ogundipe and Babalakin to step aside. The government then set up an investigation panel to look in the crisis.
However, the John Momoh-led interim Governing Council of the institution later appointed Folasade Ogunsola as the acting Vice-Chancellor of the institution pending the final resolution of the crisis.
