Gabriel Dike
Details of how a professor who had less than one month to retire from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) escaped been recalled from the Governing Council as representative of Senate has emerged.
At the last senate meeting this month, a motion was moved by Prof Kemi Odukoya from Faculty of Pharmacy, College of Medicine that Prof Boniface Oye-Adeniran be recalled from the governing council because of his opposition to senate issues in council.
Before the motion to recall Prof Oye-Adeniran, who is from Faculty of Clinical Sciences, the senate had earlier passed a vote of confidence on the vice chancellor and his management team which came after the House of Representatives gave them a clean bill after it investigated the allegations against them raised by the council chairman, Dr. Wale Babalakin.
The decision to recall the professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology from the council followed immediately after the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, briefed senate on the recent face-off between the governing council chairman, Dr. Babalakin and his management team as well as the outcome of investigation by the lower chambers.
Our correspondent gathered that many senate members were not happy with the role played by Prof Oye-Adeniran during the crisis and his constant opposition to senate decisions in council.
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Prof Odukoya moved the motion to recall Oye-Adeniran from council since he was not representing the interest of senate at council. The motion according to a member of the senate received overwhelming support and the process to recall him commenced.
Prof Oye-Adeniran, who will retire this month, was saved by the interventions of the VC, Prof Ogundipe and the chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) UNILAG branch, Dr. Dele Ashiru.
“It was an overwhelming support, not a single person opposed the motion. When the VC saw the mood of the senate, he quickly appealed to members because if it was put to vote he would not get up to 10 votes. Over 90 per cent of members in attendance were bent on voting and recalling him. Prof Adeyemo, from his department supported the motion before most of us started shouting “no objection.”
“We wanted to send a strong message that he cannot be elected by the senate to represent us in council, and every single matter coming from senate to council he will fight vehemently, even when he was part of the decision making in senate.
“Although no votes were cast, he and his few clique were shocked at the bitterness of senate members. The VC saved him despite all the rubbish he did to the VC,” the member revealed.
ASUU UNILAG branch chairman, Dr. Ashiru confirmed that the motion to recall Prof Oye-Adeniran was moved and that if not for intervention, senate members were prepared to recall him.
He said the position of some senate members who intervened was not to pay evil with evil but allow peace reign on campus thus they prevailed on the VC to handle his case with maturity.”