Uche Nnaike and Funmi Ogundare
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Wednesday, passed a vote of no confidence on the Pro-chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Dr. Wale Babalakin.
The ASUU Chairman, Dr. Dele Ashiru, told THISDAY in a telephone interview that the union took the decision at its congress.
He said the union would today issue a statement detailing other resolutions passed at the congress.
The varsity management, led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Toyin Ogundipe, had been embroiled in a dispute with the governing council, since the suspension of the institution’s convocation scheduled to kick-off last Monday.
Babalakin was accused of being instrumental to the suspension of the convocation.
However, the university’s convocation had been suspended by the National Universities Commission (NUC) on the grounds that the school management did not get the approval of the commission before fixing the date.
Documents shown to THISDAY also indicated that the university’s management failed to get approval from the governing council before fixing the date for the convocation.
But Ashiru said the congress underscored the fact that Babalakin misinformed the federal government about the events in the university, adding that based on the strength of that misinformation, the government suspended the convocation.
“Congress believes that this is an affront on our collective integrity as scholars in this university and gross insensitivity to the agony that the cancellation can cause to the graduates, their relatives, friends and well-wishers of the university, and particularly the image and the reputation of the university,” he stated.
He said considering all the reports, the congress resolved to pass a vote of no confidence in the leadership of the pro-chancellor.
At the end of the meeting, the union also staged a peaceful protest within the main campus of the university to make its position known to management.
