The making of new LASU VC

Posted by admin Headlines, Lagos, State News Monday, January 18th, 2016

The making of new LASU VC

How the battle was fought and won, and the challenges ahead

By Gabriel Dike

Peace and stability seem to have returned to the one-time crisis-ridden Lagos State University (LASU), with the appointment, last week, by the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, of Prof. Olarenwaju Fagbohun as the eighth Vice Chancellor. The 32-year-old institution is just coming out of nine-month protracted crisis.

But on Tuesday and Wednesday, last week, the presence of the new VC on campus brought life back to the university that once looked like a ghost town. Both staff and students were up and doing even as Prof. Fagbohun settled down to face the great task ahead.

Before now, the university has been engulfed in protracted crisis between the workers and the former VC, Prof. John Obafunwa who was chased out of the campus on March 16, 2015, prompting him to operate from his personal office at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), till the end of his tenure on October 31, 2015.

Apart from preventing Obafunwa and other staff from entering the campus, the staff unions locked up the Admin Block 1 that houses the VC’s office and other top registry staff as well as the Senate building. Throughout the duration of the last outbreak of crisis, the two buildings were laced with juju, making it difficult for workers and the VC to use the place.

For nine months, LASU operated like an institution without a Vice Chancellor. Several meetings called to resolve the crisis ended in a deadlock, with the staff unions rejecting the plea to open the two buildings and allow Obafunwa to have access to his office.

During the crisis, the staff unions asked Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, the Visitor to LASU, to appoint an acting VC, to set up a visitation panel, to meet the workers’ demands and to begin the process of selecting a new VC. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) passed a vote of no confidence on Obafunwa.

The March 16 protest was caused by, among other reasons, the Obafunwa administration’s withdrawal of PhD certificates of 19 lecturers including that of ASUU LASU Chairman, Dr. Adekunle Idris, on the ground that they were improperly issued. The action generated further tension on the campus. Another incident that fuelled the crisis was the use of some academic staff to form a faction of ASUU LASU but the national body disowned the group.

Governor Ambode took a bold step towards resolving the protracted crisis when, on October 2015, he appointed new Governing Council led by Prof. Adebayo Ninalowo. Part of his mandate was to resolve the crisis. The council hit the ground running by setting up several committees to look into certain issues raised by the staff unions and the university management. Prof. Ninalowo-led council took some decisions to restore peace on the campus. Foremost among them: the reissue of withdrawn PhD certificate to ASUU LASU chairman, Dr. Idris, the putting into place the process for the selection of new VC and appointment of an acting VC at the end of Obafunwa tenure.

The selection process for VC

Education Review gathered that 14 Professors applied for the vacant VC position out of which nine were shortlisted for the interview but the name of the immediate past VC, Prof Obafunwa was conspicuously missing from the list.

A breakdown of the nine Professors selected for the final interview by the Prof. Adebayo Ninalowo-led governing council revealed shows that six are from LASU, one each from University of Lagos and Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye and an applicant from outside the country.

Among those short-listed for the plum job include two former deputy VCs, Prof. Oluyemisi Olatunji Bello of LASUCOM, Prof. Senna Bakre of Faculty of Sciences, and current Dean, Faculty of Arts, Prof. Abolade Adeniji, Prof. Lanre Fagbohun, formerly of LASU, but later of UNILAG, Prof. Babajide Elemo (Sciences), Prof. Nurudeen Olasupo (Microbiology), Prof. Hamidu Sanni (Islamic Studies) and Prof. S.A. Tella of Department of Economics, OOU.

At the end of the interview, the Council/Senate selection committee shortlisted three Professors for the plum job. They are: Prof. Fagbohun (who came first), Prof. Sanni (who came second) and Prof. Bello, who placed third. The three names were then sent to Governor Ambode to pick from them one as the 8^th VC for LASU.

Before then, the three candidates engaged in high-wire politics to ensure that they were picked as the eighth Vice Chancellor of LASU. They reached out to those who matter in the state, including traditional rulers.

Prof. Ninalowo had earlier told Education Review that the selection process would be strictly on merit. In his first interview after his appointment, on September 16, 2015, he said that the selection of a new VC would be based on the existing law as contained in the LASU 2004 edict (now amended).

Amidst the appeal by the two staff unions to Ambode to pick the next VC on merit, anxiety gripped the workers over the delay in announcing the new VC from the three candidates that the governing council sent to him.

Opening of Admin block 1 and Senate building

The locked Admin Block 1 and the Senate building of LASU were opened by a “masquerade” that allegedly put the two buildings under lock and key some nine months ago. Education Review learnt that it was opened on the midnight of Thursday, December 31.

Within days of the re-opening, workers were seen clearing the overgrown weed and cleaning the main gates. The Registrar, Mr. Akinwunmi Lewis, who inspected the cleaning, confirmed to Education Review, that after fumigation, the place would be ready for use.

Appointment of new VC and the challenges ahead

On January 7, 2016, Ambode approved the appointment of Prof. Fagbohun as the new VC ending the endless wait by the workers and stakeholders. And for the first time in the history of LASU, the governor inaugurated the new VC on Monday, January 10, at Government House. The Governor also signed into law a single-five year tenure for LASU VCs henceforth (as against the previous four-year term, renewable at the end of the tenure). Also signed into law by Ambode is the 70-years retirement age for Professors and 65 for non-academic staff.

Speaking on the occasion, the Governor said the amendment of LASU Law was fundamental “as it will address pertinent issues that have for long created discord within the academic community. Today, we have taken another step with the inauguration of the eighth substantive VC of LASU. This appointment was made after a thorough screening of selection process, by the governing council.

“Over the past few years, LASU has had her fair share of successes and challenges. As a result, there is a lot of work to be done to propel the university to a world-class status. As we set our sight on more viable future, we must ask ourselves some important questions: How successful are our students after they graduate from our institution and what is the university’s contributions to our community, our country and the world? I urge that we all ponder over this question and use today’s event as a rallying call for all to join hands to move LASU forward.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that the new VC is assuming office at a challenging time in the history of the university after a protracted crisis. In this task, he requires the support of all stakeholders particularly the academic and non-academic staff as well as students, all of whom must be carried along to ensure a peaceful atmosphere and encourage academic excellence.”

In his remark, Prof Fagbohun described his inauguration “as the new dawn of great opportunities. We have not only the wherewithal to soar, we are blessed with an intellectual prodigy in the person of Governor Ambode as our Visitor, a jurist of the finest distinction in the person of Justice Adesola Oguntade as our Chancellor, a renowned social scientist Prof Ninalowo as Pro Chancellor. We will be prudent with funds, we will also be creative, innovative, committed to our values and excellence to the discharge of our responsibilities.

“The challenges we have at LASU are not what humanity cannot solve. The huge potential of human resources, students, academic and non-academic staff is an assurance of our strength. We will jointly set the agenda, discuss it and collectively and implement it. To meet the challenges, my five strategies and priorities are: restoring peace to LASU, fostering high level scholarship and creating new knowledge, consolidating on previous gains, clearing roadmap for attracting funds and making LASU a valued partner to Lagos State government and the nation.”

The new VC hit the ground running as he has started consulting with key stakeholders including the staff unions and the students union on how to move LASU forward. On Wednesday, January 13, he held meeting with union leaders. He has also promised to inaugurate 28 committees and promised to provide suggestion boxes in strategic places across the campus, to allow members of staff to drop their suggestions and promised to work on them.

Union leaders’ positions

The workers welcomed the appointment of Prof. Fagbohun and were on ground to receive him when he assumed office. Afterwards, the staff and students present sang and danced with joy and optimism for the new VC. They prayed to God to guide and protect the new helmsman in the running of the affairs of the university.

But the unions say they expect the new VC to settle down and face the task ahead, particularly addressing outstanding issues that led to the nine-month crisis while stakeholders wants the unions to allow Fagbohun to settle down before bringing up outstanding issues.

Before the appointment of the new VC, Dr. Idris said that the staff unions are at a cross- roads again, noting that, “the university is at the verge of engaging another VC in a few weeks from now. Yet core issues that are germane to the current crisis remain unresolved. Our union owes it as duty to press for the rights of our members and the resolution of core outstanding matters.

“It will be most distracting to the incoming VC to start off his/her tenure with crisis. If this is not achieved now, the incoming VC’s official seat is simply the proverbial ‘keg of gun powder’. We suggest that core outstanding issues be resolved so that the incoming VC can start work on a clean slate with the staff unions.’’

Dr. Idris noted that the union should not be held responsible for the inaction of the government or the governing council or the university administration and listed the contentious demands to include the unpaid salary increase arrears outstanding since 2010, replacement of damaged union buses/vehicles (three) belonging to SSANU and NASU.

Others are making public the report of investigation and decision of council on the excesses of the Registrar, Mr. Akinwunmi Lewis, as agreed at a meeting with the deputy governor, setting of new retirement age for academic staff on professorial cadre and non-academic staff, making legally-binding the proposedterm of five years for principal officers, outstanding overdue promotions and report of the investigation of inappropriate promotions and appointment cases submitted by the unions.

ERC welcome change at LASU, demands for improved funding

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) welcomed recent changes at LASU unveiled by the state government but was quick to point out that all of these would amount to nothing if they are not backed up by improved funding and democratic management of the institution.

ERC said according to the state government, LASU would now be a residential institution; also new single five-year tenure has been approved for VCs while the age-long demand of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for 70 years as the retirement age for professors has now been approved.

To ensure that all of these changes lead to significant progress in the university, the ERC, in a statement, signed by the National Coordinator, Hassan Taiwo, and National Secretary Michael Ogundele called for increase in the budgetary allocation to the Lagos State University. At the moment, LASU receives very low allocation – a fact that is responsible for the alarming infrastructural deficit in the University as well the deplorable learning environment.

Prof. Fagbohun’s words to staff, on assumption of office, still rings bell: “This is the beginning of a new dawn. The name of the game is inclusive governance and I am going to work with you to make LASU the greatest,” he said. “I can’t do it alone. I need everybody. We will think together and leverage on each other’s capacities. The opportunities in Lagos are enormous.”

When our Correspondent visited LASU, last Wednesday, January 13, the campus was bubbling with life as the new VC has settled down to face the task ahead. He is operating from the new Faculty of Science Building Complex, main campus, Ojo. The workers/stakeholders expect him to restore the lost glory of LASU. They have started counting days for him and would expect results soon.

-Sun

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Posted by admin on Jan 18 2016. Filed under Headlines, Lagos, State News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry