Just In: UNILAG Governing Council Appoints Prof. Soyombo As Acting Vice Chancellor

By Edna Wande Last updated Aug 22, 2020

University of Lagos (UNILAG) Governing Council has appointed Prof. Omololu Soyombo as the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the institution.

This comes a day after the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olawatoyin Ogundipe, was sacked by the governing council of the institution during a meeting which was presided over by its Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr. Wale Babalakin.

Ogundipe was accused of acts of wrongdoing, gross misconduct, financial recklessness and abuse of office.

Shortly after his removal was announced, Ogundipe released a letter insisting that he remains the Vice-Chancellor of the institution.

However, the council in a statement released on Thursday, August 13 by its Registrar and Secretary, Esq. Oladejo Azeez maintained that Ogundipe has been removed as the Vice Chancellor of the University.

Azeez also urged the public to disregard Ogundipe’s letter which denied the VC’s removal by the Governing Council of the University.

Soyombo’s appointment was also announced in the statement by Azeez, which reads;

My attention has been drawn to a document circulating under the hand and signature of the former Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, FAS. The letter purports to deny his removal by the Governing Council of University at its Emergency Meeting of Wednesday, August 12, 2020.

For the avoidance of doubt, I am in my capacity as Registrar and Secretary to Council the only custodian of the minutes of Council and the authorising officer on behalf of Council to issue official statements pertaining to all Council Affairs.

Members of the public are hereby advised to totally disregard the statement attributed to the said former Vice Chancellor. The position remains that he was lawfully removed by the Governing Council at a meeting fully attended by all Council members.

I also wish to use the opportunity to inform members of the public that Council at the said meeting duly appointed Professor Theophilus Omololu Soyombo of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos as Vice Chancellor of the University in an Acting Capacity.

The development is the culmination of the faceoff between Babalakin and Ogundipe which led to the school’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) declaring Babalakin an unwanted visitor to the university.

This prevented the Council from sitting on UNILAG campus and had to hold the council meeting where Ogundipe was dismissed to Abuja.