Crisis: Another UNILAG Governing Council Member Resigns

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Another member of the Governing Council of the institution, Prof. Bayo Adaralegbe, has tendered his resignation on Friday, September 18.

This comes barely 24 hours after the resignation of Wale Babalakin (SAN) as Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos state.

Read Also: Breaking: Babalakin Resigns As UNILAG Pro-Chancellor

The resignation letter of Adaralegbe dated September 18, 2020, which is entitled, ‘Resignation from the Governing Council of UNILAG’ was addressed to the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu in Abuja.

According to him, his continued stay on the Governing Council of UNILAG, would be “a serious dishonor and desecration” to the memory of his father, Prof. Adeniji Adaralegbe.

The letter read in part;

I wish to inform you of my resignation from the Governing Council of the University of Lagos with immediate effect.

I was inaugurated along with other Federal government appointees on April 6, 2017. In that period, Babalakin provided very strong moral leadership as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council.

Adaralegbe stated;

He kept scrupulously to the promise he made at our maiden Council meeting not to bid for, or be awarded contracts from the University. He actually did more.

Those of us Federal Government appointees followed his strong moral leadership. Aside from a Samsung telephone set, an Ipad device, and the sum of N60,000.00 as sitting allowance per meeting, I did not in any way benefit materially, directly or through third parties from the University of Lagos, certainly a rarity by today’s Nigerian standard (unless of course one wants to add the admission of a few candidates that I requested from the University management).

He stressed;

They have even turned my position on the Council as propaganda material, claiming that I lied about my state of origin in order to get appointed. My association with Dr Babalakin since 1991, something that I am incredibly proud of, and which is very common knowledge, has also been weaponised by these people.

Recent developments have, unfortunately, made my continued stay on the Governing Council of UNILAG very untenable.

Background

In May, 2017, five external members of the governing council of the university were inaugurated in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, with the announcement of Dr Wale Babalakin as chairman.

Other members of the council include Saminu Dagari, a senior lecturer at the Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State; and Yomi Kasali, a pastor and founder of Foundation of Truth Assembly. Mr Kasali doubles as the chairman of the Nigerian Christians Pilgrims Commission (NCPC).

Other members include Alli Hussein, a former commissioner in Katsina State, and a director at the federal ministry of education, Adetokunbo Adebanjo.

The council at different times was joined by internal members from the institution representing the management as vice-chancellor, deputy vice-chancellors, and as representatives of the senate and congregation.

However, crisis rocking the university broke out in 2018 following frequent disagreements between the chairman of the council and the institution management, which was led by Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.

This warranted the setting up of an audit committee led by Mr. Dagari. The report of the committee has remained a subject of controversy, and formed the basis upon the controversial removal of Ogundipe on August 12.

Read Also: Just In: UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ogundipe Allegedly Sacked By Governing Council

In reaction, the President announced the composition of a seven-member visitation panel led by Tukur Sa’ad, a former vice-chancellor of Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Niger State.

In his letter of resignation, Mr. Babalakin disagreed with the panel’s composition, saying the members had no capacity to address the issues in contention.

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