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By Gabriel Dike, Lagos
The Lagos State University (LASU) branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for sacking the chairman of the Governing Council of LASU, Prof Adebayo Ninalowo, and the dissolution of the council over the way they handled the selection processes for the 9th Vice Chancellor.
The commendation was made at the ASUU LASU congress held virtually which resolved that Sanwo-Olu acted within the law as the Visitor to the university.
The resolution read:
‘The Visitor and Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwoolu, should be commended, via a letter, for his brave, consistent, justified and decisive intervention in the heavily manipulated and fraudulent selection processes of the 9th VC, for the removal of Prof. Ninalowo and for his approval of the long-overdue full-blown Visitation Panel to LASU.
‘Congress noted the publication by Prof. Adebayo Ninalowo, the erstwhile pro-chancellor, on the cancelled controversial 9th VC selection processes. Some congress members felt it is an attack on the Visitor and the union should simply ignore it since he is not addressing the union.
‘Majority agreed that the publication sought to discredit the Visitor’s dissolution of the erstwhile governing council and cancellation of the fraudulent selection process of the 9th VC which Prof. Ninalowo superintended very ineffectively.’
ASUU LASU said not to speak would be tantamount to allowing Prof Ninalowo to mislead the public from the good intentions of the Visitor whose decision reflects the union’s professional convictions and advice.
Before the governor’s action, members were informed that the union wrote letters to Sanwo-Olu regarding flaws in the first and second processes for the selection of the 9th VC and the need for the Pro-Chancellor to recuse himself from the processes.
Congress was informed that the union submitted and defended the memorandum before the Special Panel and the six-man delegation was led by a representative of ASUU national, Prof Idowu Awopetu.
ASUU LASU called for the immediate composition of a full visitation panel, adding that ‘members noted that most of the decisions government has taken are in agreement with the objective position of our union.’
The union agreed to seek clarifications on grey areas of the Visitor’s directive particularly regarding reconstitution of the governing council and senate representatives on the council.
