By Gabriel Dike
The Lagos State University (LASU), Governing Council non-compliance with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu directive to start a fresh the selection process for the appointment of a new vice chancellor has triggered another round of petition from the Concerned Staff of LASU.
Worried by the non-compliance, the concerned staff of LASU in a petition dated January 13th and signed by Olalekan Akinloye and Olatunji Alonge, the duo asked the governor to call the Prof. Adebayo Ninalowo-led governing council to order.
Sanwo-Olu, Visitor to LASU had last week cancelled the appointment process for a VC because of various petitions against the violation of the guidelines by the council.
The governor further directed that a fresh selection exercise that would end in 45 days should start immediately.
In the two-page petition, the group said Sanwo-Olu’s directive on the cancellation of the botched appointment of LASU VC over guidelines violations and ordering of a fresh process is clear.
The concerned staff informed the governor that the council chairman is in contravention of the directive that a fresh exercise should start for the appointment of the 9th VC.
“Since the advertisement is to be placed a fresh, a new shortlist of candidates is to be done, and a fresh interview is to be conducted, a new joint council and Senate selection committee should also be reconstituted.
“Rather than calling for the governing council to elect three members of council a fresh and allow Senate to elect its own three members anew to the joint council and Senate selection committee, Prof. Ninalowo summoned the old joint council and Senate committee whose report has been cancelled to a meeting on Monday, January 11th, for the primary objective of re-conducting the exercise.”
The concerned staff alleged that some members of the committee have been established to have an unhidden bias in favour of some candidates over and against others.
It words: “Mr. Governor Sir, you have shown enough goodwill by the cancellation and ordering of a fresh process. The fresh process needs to be completely fresh in content and in spirit. This will ensure that the process is fair and unhinged by those with the intention of altering the guidelines.”
The group said the committee would want to justify its earlier result by ensuring that those candidates do not pass at the interview, stating “if this happens, the type of crisis you hope to forestall in the university will be inevitable.”
The concerned staff urged Sanwo-Olu to set aside the cancelled committee and order that a fresh committee elected by both the council and Senate as enshrined in the LASU Law of 2004.
