LASU stalemate: Fate of over 3,800 LASU students hangs in the balance

BY CHIKA ABANOBI
T he crisis bedeviling the Lagos State University (LASU),
Ojo, is far from over as about 3,800 students of its
external system are yet to receive their results, which are
said to have been ready since March this year, according
to sources close to the university.
This is because the Senate has been unable to meet and
ratify the results, as required by the law governing the
university. Initially, this was attributed to the then ongoing
agitation by the unions – ASUU, NASU, SSANU, NAATI –
that not only saw Prof. John Obafunwa driven away from
the university but also the administrative blocks locked up
and some fetish objects reportedly placed at their
entrance. Some staff of the university management were
also said to have been advised to stay away from the
university premises for their own safety.
But since the dissolution of the former university
governing council by the state governor, Mr. Akinwumi
Ambode, and the reconstitution of a new one headed by
Prof. Adebayo Ninalowo of the University of Lagos, the
crisis seemed to have continued making it difficult for the
Senate to sit and ratify the results of the affected students
from the external system or campuses which for about
four years now, had stopped admitting new students
following the insistence of the National Universities
Commission (NUC).
Already, allegations are flying about Prof. Ninalowo
dancing to the tune of the unions and doing everything to
please them because he too was a unionist, having served
as Deputy Secretary of the UNILAG Chapter of ASUU
between 1986 and 1993, and also Ex-officio of the same
union between 1993 and 1996.
“Without mincing words, Lagos State University, as I
speak to you, is being run by the unions,” a source who
does not want his name mentioned in print said. “Nobody
is in charge. That is the simple truth. I stand to be
controverted on this. The unions are doing whatever they
like and efforts are being made to pacify them. The
governing council is of the opinion that until they are able
to satisfy all the demands of the unions, they are not going
to do something or ask anybody to do something. Who is
fooling who? I take some courses. As I speak to you, till
this moment, I couldn’t take any of my courses.”
The same crisis made it impossible for about 6,800
graduating students to have their convocation in March
this year. While about 6,000 were expected to have been
awarded with bachelor degrees, about 800 would have
been bestowed with post-graduate diplomas, masters and
doctorate degrees. But the current crisis which is said to
be threatening security on the campus over an alleged
threat by the affected students to take their grievances to
the streets if the university Senate fails to meet and do the
needful, is said to have been caused by the inability of the
governing council headed by Prof. Ninalowo, to apply the
university law which stipulates that in the absence of the
Vice Chancellor, the Deputy Vice Chancellor shall be Acting
Vice Chancellor pending the appointment of a substantive
Vice Chancellor.
“With the expiration of the term of office of the outgone
Vice Chancellor on 31st October 2015, and the inability of
the Governing Council to invoke the relevant sections of
the University Law in appointing an Acting Vice Chan­
cellor, the university is gradually being pushed into
unnecessary crisis,” the source said. “This is because the
Deputy Vice Chancellor cannot perform certain functions
unless he is appointed first as Acting Vice Chancellor of
the university. Example of such functions is the convening
of Senate meetings or appointments and promotion
meetings which are legally within the purview of the office
of Vice Chancellor. Even the Committee of Provosts,
Deans and Directors meeting that is strictly legally within
his purview cannot forge ahead on their decisions since
the subsuming Senate meeting cannot be called by him.”
When contacted on the matter and asked if the crisis is
responsible for the non-convening of the Senate meeting to
ratify the results, Prof. Fidelis Njokamma, Deputy Vice
Chancellor (Admin), said: “So you know there is crisis?
The question I want to ask you is: how does the Senate sit
and work satisfactorily when there is crisis?” Like Prof.
Njokamma, Prof. Ninalowo was not disposed to
commenting on the matter and on the allegations against
him when contacted by Sunday Sun. “I cannot comment
on the matter over the phone,” he said. Asked whether he
would prefer to meet the reporter face to face, he firmly
retorted: “no, I would not want to comment over the
matter at this time. Thank you.”