UNILAG Queries: Union seeks public disclosure, sanctions for indicted officers

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, University of Lagos chapter, has asked the authorities at the varsity to make a public disclosure of the issues in the school.

The union said the reason for the queries given to some principal officers and lecturers should also be stated, adding that the silence of the authorities was doing damage to the corporate image of UNILAG.

SSANU, in a statement on Thursday, urged that any officer indicted during investigation, should be punished.

Recall that the Registrar of UNILAG, Oladejo Azeez, allegedly gave queries to some management workers and lecturers at the university.

Those affected included the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe; the two deputy vice-chancellors, Folasade Ogunsola and Oluwole Familoni; a former VC, Rahamon Bello; the school former Registrar, Taiwo Ipaye; a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Duro Oni, among others.

Azeez, who is the secretary to the governing council, was said to be acting on the instruction of the chairman of the council, Babalakin.

The registrar was also served a query by the VC after he issued a statement against the Academic Staff Union of Universities, UNILAG chapter, which criticised the council chairman for the queries.

Azeez was accused of usurping the authority of the VC, whom he was supposed to be reporting to.

Some dons our correspondent spoke to said the disagreements and wrangling bordered on alleged financial malpractices discovered by Babalakin.

SSANU, in the statement on Thursday, said the “sour” relationship between the management and the university council was giving the institution a bad name.

“Suffice to say that queries were given to some principal officers of the university by the university registrar and secretary to the University of Lagos council, Azeez Oladejo, acting on the directives of the university pro-chancellor and chairman of University of Lagos council, Dr Wale Babalakin.

“The administrative act of issuing queries to erring officers is an age-long known tool of ensuring sanity within the university system. That ordinary issues like issuance of queries now became a matter for public consumption to the extent of having such published in global media, is very unfortunate,” the statement said.

The public relations officer of SSANU, who issued the release, said the union would never be part of anything that could dimish the achievements of UNILAG of several decades, urging other workers to do the same.

He condemned the attack on the registrar for his role in the query, urging all parties involved in the impasse to put the university first.

“The reason for the purported query ought to be made public by the concerned authorities, as whatever reason out there, is a matter of conjecture or outright rumour. The members of the community deserve to know what is really going on.

“If any officer, however highly placed, has committed infractions which run foul of universally accepted best practices, and injurious to our collective wellbeing, as a community and institution, such an officer should be made to face the full wrath of the law, and in accordance with extant rules, as enshrined in our statues and laws of the land,” the statement added.