ADVERTORIAL

THE UNILAG CRISIS:
SAVE UNILAG FROM SINKING
By
The Concerned Stakeholders

INTRODUCTION
We represent the entire interest groups of the University with members cutting across Staff, Parents/Guardians, Alumni, Pensioners, Taxpayers and other persons.

FOLLOW US ON THE HIGHLIGHT OF ISSUES:

A. CONTRACTOR OF UNILAG COLLAPSED NEW LIBRARY BUILDING RESUMES AT SITE

We have on reliable information that the same Contractor (Dutum) responsible for the construction of University collapsed library building has resumed to site since Saturday, 15th June, 2019.

We are amazed at the negligence, unseriousness and nonchalance of the University Management’s claim to be obeying the House of Representatives Committee on Procurement and disregarded the Council directive on pending investigations by reinstating the Contractor (Dutum) to the site in spite of all the infractions below:

 Disqualified Contractor (Dutum) reinstated by the University Management.
 Federal Executive Council’s approval sidelined by the University Management.
 Panel recommendation that some Principal Officers should face Disciplinary Committee.

The implication of return to the site by the Contractor is very grievous for the present and future. Let’s leave it to your imagination on the danger portrayed to staff, students and public. Something needs to be done immediately to stop this administrative insensitivity.

B. HIGHLIGHTS OF FINANCIAL MISAPPROPRIATION ON WHICH THE UNIVERSITY COUNCIL IS DAGGER DRAWN WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY
 Above One Hundred and Twelve Million Naira (N112million) spent on renovation of Official quarters as against Fifty Million Naira (N50million) budgeted – Vice-Chancellor; N49million plus N2million, Bursar; N41million and Immediate Past Registrar;N22million, among others, for renovation.
 N57million spent on Overseas Travel by some Principal Officers and two Directors between March and December, 2018 with unauthorized payment of Local Running Cost.
 Contract splitting and approval above Vice-Chancellor’s limit to the tune of about N750million and more
 Unappropriated Expenditure – Council approval not obtained on several expenditures.
 Average sum of N2.5million monthly security grant to the current Dean of Student Affairs which amounted to N41million between May, 2017 – September, 2018.
 Continuous payment of monthly security grant while student facilities suffer.

THE UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS IN RECENT TIMES: THE FACTS, THE FICTION AND THE TRUTH
The University of Lagos has been in the spotlight in the recent past for troubling reasons. In the exchanges that have come to the public domain, there is demonstrable evidence of dispute between the Management of the University and its Governing Council. In the communication, there had been mutual recriminations about the prerogatives and statutory competence of these two echelons of authority in the University. In a bid to assert their competence by the Management and Council, there had been allegations of acting within or beyond legal authority and usurpation of authority. A particular stakeholder (The Academic Staff Union of Universities) has come out with vitriolic criticisms of the Council accusing it of crippling dictatorship and tyranny. The scenario had been a struggle among facts, fiction and the truth. In the information, the truth appears to be getting the short edge of the stick. This, therefore, makes it inevitable to take a critical look at the discourse with a view to separating among the facts, the fiction and the truth. This write up by the concerned interest groups of the University is intended to give the general public a balanced view of events as they are to enable it to have informed opinion about the situation, separate facts from fiction and have an idea about the truth.
Each organ of the University is a creation of the Act from which it derives its prerogatives and functions. Below are the organs and their prerogatives:

THE OFFICE OF THE VICE CHANCELLOR AND THE MANAGEMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY
The responsibilities for the Management of the University rest with the Vice Chancellor. Section 9 (1) & (2) of the University of Lagos Act provides as follows:

“9 (1) The Vice-Chancellor shall in relation to the University take precedence before all members of the University except the Chancellor and subject to Section 6 of this Act, except the Pro-Chancellor and any other person for the time being acting as Chairman of the Council”

“THE PRO-CHANCELLOR AND CHAIRMAN-OF-COUNCIL” AND “THE COUNCIL”
The Council of the University is headed by a legal practitioner, Dr. Olawale Babalakin, OFR, SAN who is the first alumnus Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council. He occupied the same position before his current appointment at the University of Maiduguri.
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