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By Gabriel Dike
The newly inaugurated governing council, Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, has kicked off the selection process for the appointment of the ninth vice-chancellor for the 38 years old institution.
The Sir David Sunmoni-led governing council has officially thrown the race for the VC post open with the advertisement of the vacant position.
The advertisement, which is a complete departure from the two botched selection exercises, is generating ripples among academic and non-academic staff in LASU. Unlike the last two adverts for the VC position, the new one states specific criteria to be met by candidates applying for the vacant post.
Chief among the criteria is that the candidates must be full professors of at least 10 years standing “as at the date of the publication (advert) with 15 years of teaching and research experience in the university system.’’
Another major criteria is that the candidate must possess “an academic doctorate (PhD) degree or Doctor of Medicine (MD) and must have supervised PhD students.
“Please note that only candidates who satisfy all the above criteria will be shortlisted and contacted for the next stage of the appointment process, “the advert stressed.
Ahead of the advert for the vacant position, the governing council met recently and elected three members into the Joint Council and Senate Selection Committee.
The election of the three council members to the appointment committee was a clear departure of what transpired under the Prof. Adebayo Ninalowo -led council. Names of three members in the two botched exercises were announced by Ninalowo and the decision generated ripples. The action formed part of series of petitions sent to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, leading to the cancellation of the first and second selection exercises.
Candidates, who possess Postgraduate Medical Fellowship, may have been ruled out of consideration for the plum job because the advert specified PhD and MD.
The implication is that Prof. Olumuyiwa Odusanya, who emerged first in the two botched exercises, may have been shut out because he has postgraduate Medical Fellowship.
Prof. Mohammed Ibrahim, a former vice chancellor with a private university in Ilorin and Prof. Abiodun Adewuya, acting Provost, Lagos State University College of Medicine, have been disqualified technically. Both are holders of postgraduate Medical Fellowship.
Recall that the National Universities Commission (NUC) had warned that Medical Fellowship is not equivalent or equal to a PhD. The commission’s statement put to rest the position of the former LASU council and university management that Fellowship holders are superior to PhD graduates.
The Education Report investigations further revealed that many professors have been ruled out of the race because of the requirements that a candidate for the position must be a full professor of 10 years and with 15 years teaching and research experience.
Investigations revealed that many professors such as a serving deputy vice chancellor and a former Dean, Students Affairs, who applied and were shortlisted during the first and second botched exercises, are not qualified to apply because their professorship is less than 10 years.
Also, some who applied in the last two selection exercises can’t submit application in the on-going exercise as result of not meeting the 10 years requirement as a professor. In the last two exercises, the sacked council applied double standard, it shortlisted some with less than seven years as professor and dropped others with more years but below 10 years.
In a related development, the governing council on July, 22, 2020, elected three representatives as members of the appointment committee for the 9th VC. They are Dr. Hakeem Adetugbobo, Mrs. Morenike Williams and Mrs. Kalesanwo.
Under the sacked governing council, the three representatives were handpicked which lead to protest and petitions to the visitor.
On July 1, 2021, LASU Senate elected three professors as members of the Joint Council and Senate Selection Committee. The Senate representatives are Prof. Joseph Olagunju, current Dean, Postgraduate School, Prof. Adenike Boyo, current Dean, Faculty of Science and Prof. Fidelis Njokanma, former acting VC.
The seven-man Joint Council and Senate Selection Committee will be chaired by the Pro-Chancellor, Chairman Governing Council of LASU, Sir David sunmoni, a retired Accountant General and Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Finance.
