The invitation was in connection with a news report published on Monday by an online news platform.

The story revealed that a certificate racketeering syndicate had genuine Lagos State University certificates that anyone interested could purchase for between N2m and N3m, depending on the technicality of the course involved.

In a statement made available by Media Assistant to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Eromosele Ebhomele, the Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, noted that the source of the story could be suspicious and not trustworthy, saying, “because of its tendency to blackmail, agreed that the concerned officials of the institution be invited so that facts about the allegation could be unearthed for the sake of the reputation of the school.”

Obasa, an alumnus of the institution, said, “I agree that the committee should invite those to be invited to establish facts about the allegation, but we must not because of that destroy our institution’s reputation.”

However, the Speaker said should anyone be found wanting, they would be sanctioned.

The statement revealed that Mr Owolabi Ajani, who moved the motion under ‘Matter of Urgent Public Importance,’ told his colleagues that there was a need to invite the commissioner, the VC and others for the House to unravel the facts behind the allegation.

Ajani noted that LASU had maintained a high level of integrity over the years, saying that this must be sustained.

“While Honourable Sa’ad Olumoh urged that the investigation should involve people in the Information and Communication Technology unit of the institution, Honourable Desmond Elliot and his colleague, Ladi Ajomale, who said they attended LASU, supported that the allegation be investigated,” the statement added.

Oso, aged 67, was reported to have died in a ghastly accident that happened on Saturday evening while returning from a conference in Abraka, Delta State.

His death was confirmed by the Dean, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, LASU, Professor Sunday Olayinka Alawode.

Alawode wrote, “Good morning family. I am constrained to inform us of the involvement of Professor Muraino Olayiwola OSO, (we all fondly called Baba Lai Oso) in a ghastly auto accident which claimed his life yesterday 24th June 2023.

“It’s a rude shock to all of us even as we commiserate with Mummy Oso, the children and his entire family, the Communication family worldwide, LASU Community and all others.

Baba, your sudden exit is painful, but we rest in the comfort that you have gone to be with the Lord. Rest in Peace. Adieu Baba of the Communication family.”

Oso was a Professor at the Mass Communication School of Communication, Lagos State University. He was the Dean of the school between 2011 and 2015. He was President, Association of Communication Scholars & Professionals of Nigeria.

He was educated at the University of Lagos (B.Sc. Mass Communication), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (M.Sc. International Relations) and obtained a Ph.D. degree in Mass Communication as a Federal Government scholar at the University of Leicester, England in 1977.

The LASU don worked as a Reporter on both Radio and the News Agency of Nigeria and taught courses in Journalism, Media and Governance, Political Communication, Development Communication and Theory.

Present during the meeting were the Divisional Police Officers of Trade Fair division, Igando division, Seme division, Isashi division, Ilemba Hausa division, Iba division, Satellite division, Ojo division, Onireke division, Ijanikin division, Okokomaiko division, Badagry division, FESTAC division, and Morogbo division, and also the Head, DSS, Ojo.

According to a statement issued by the university on Tuesday, some of the officials were present themselves while others were represented at the first-of-its-kind parley.

The statement read in part: “The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, while giving her opening speech at the Council Chambers, Babatunde Raji Fashola Senate Building, main campus, Ojo, commended the security officers for taking time to be at the meeting as well as the great job done over time in keeping the community safe.”

Bello was quoted as saying, “The meeting of today was informed by a common purpose which is the safety of lives and properties of staff and students of the Lagos State University and by extension, residents of the environment. We have a duty of care to secure staff and students as long as they are within our span of control.”

The meeting deliberated on areas of security concern, such as cultism, kidnapping, rape, and profiling of students, among others.

The stakeholders then agreed on the need for better civility, education and orientation, and improved communication towards better security.

In the early hours of Monday, LASU student union executive led their colleagues to the Iyana-Oba and Ojo gates of the institution and shut them in protest against soldiers’ assaults on them during the presidential election of February 25, 2023.

However, as of press time, the gates had been reopened and normalcy had returned.

A student who gave her name simply as Dunsin narrated the cause of the protest to our correspondent, saying, “On the presidential election day, some soldiers beat up our Student Union Government President because the SUG hindered community members from entering the campus to vote early enough. The SUG took the initiative because of the safety of the students and staff of LASU.

According to her, the students claimed the SUG wanted them to vote before granting community members access to the campus.

However, when the community members eventually entered, they came in with soldiers and beat up our executives and some students. It was announced last Monday (February 27) that there would be a protest today. So, that was the reason the gates were shut for some hours and protests held too against maltreatment, assault on students by soldiers,” she said.

The institution’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Olaniyi Jeariogbe, also confirmed that calm had returned to the campus.

a parent who could not exit the campus said the students locked both the Iyana-Oba and Ojo gates, thereby preventing both vehicular and pedestrian movement.

He said, “We have been here for some hours. The students locked up both gates, and everywhere is filled with vehicles trying to come in and exit. The security men said the students shut the gates because their executives and some students were beaten by soldiers last week. We are all waiting at the gate, no movement.”

An overwhelming 141 out of 193 member states voted in favour of the resolution. China was among the 35 countries which abstained from voting. Meanwhile, the five countries that sided with Russia include Eritrea, North Korea, Syria, Belarus, and Russia itself.

Nigeria was among the number that opposed Russia at the UNGA.

Lecturer of History and International Relations at the Lagos State University, Dr Dapo Thomas, shared insights as regards the foreign policy implications of Nigeria’s position at Wednesday’s UNGA vote.

“I do not think that the decision of Russia to vote against Russia at the United Nations General Assembly has any special implications,” the university lecturer said.

According to Thomas, the UNGA vote is a “general thing” and has nothing to do directly with Nigeria, thus shielding the nation from any unsavoury consequences.

“There are over a hundred nations that likewise voted against Russia, even nations that have diplomatic relations with them [Russia]. The only nations that would surprise Russia would be China, North Korea, Belarus. Possibly India,” he added

Thomas opined that in times as such, the best policy is to “go with the majority,” adding that failing to do so would have been “disastrous” for Nigeria.

We stand to lose a lot if we had stayed with Russia. Russia can not even help us, because Russia itself is being dealt with economically. Whatever we may need from them cannot go beyond economic aid. And how often does Russia give aid? Russia isn’t a nation that gives aid, because it needs aid itself,” he said.

Thomas says that there’s no need to revise Nigeria’s foreign policy at the moment, as events are still unfolding and are yet to reach conclusion.

The UNGA vote, Thomas said, would “add some kind of moral dimension to the conflict.”

“As I’m speaking to you, I’ve not heard any nation, besides Ukraine, that has severed ties with Russia. Maybe that will happen with time, with each nation recalling its diplomats. That is when we can now start entertaining fear of repercussions. But as long as we have not recalled our diplomats, it still means that we have trade and diplomatic relations with Russia,” he said

The varsity’s Coordinator, Centre for Information Press and Public Relations, Ademola Adekoya, made the clarification in a statement titled, ‘Disregard Video Showing LASU Senate Building on Fire’.

Ademola said that contrary to the video clip making the rounds, the Babatunde Raji Fashola Senate Building was in perfect condition with no fire incident recorded

The statement read, “A video making the rounds ostensibly showing Babatunde Raji Fashola Senate Building of the University on fire has been brought to our attention.We wish to state clearly that the video is fake and totally unfounded. We regard this as nothing but the handiwork of some unscrupulous fellows with wild and vile imaginations seeking to create unnecessary tension in the minds of members of the University Community and the general public. We, therefore, advise that the video should be disregarded in its entirely and should not be validated any further by being shared/forwarded to others.”

Ogunbowale who has been suspended by LASU over the case reportedly committed the offence alongside others who are at large, on April 18, 2018, at Okokomaiko area of Lagos.

Testifying in court on November 4, 2019, the two rape victims revealed that they lost their virginities to the attack. The victims who disclosed they were robbed of their phones, power bank, earpiece, gold chain and N1, 200 by five men but raped by two members of the gang, Ogunbowale and another who is at large, said they were able to identify the convict who is in the same faculty with them through Facebook.

Though it was alleged that the suspect confessed to the crime and prostrated to beg for forgiveness when confronted at the police station, he however denied involvement in the crime and gave an alibi to the court. He claimed he was in school preparing for an examination which was to begin in May 2018 on the night of the attack.

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of Ikeja Special Offences Court who passed judgement on the case on Tuesday, June 29, said Ogunbowale was found guilty of conspiracy, rape and armed robbery.

Taiwo held that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt and further noted that the testimony of the victims was compelling.

This followed a meeting held with leaders of the staff unions in the institutions by officials of the state government in Ikeja on Tuesday.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser on Education to the Governor, Mr Tokunbo Wahab.

According to him, the state government said the payment was part of its efforts to maintain peace on the campuses.

Wahab reiterated the commitment of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to according education and workers welfare top priority.

Among the tertiary institutions whose workers will benefit from the development are Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, the Lagos State Polytechnic, LASPOTECH, Ikorodu, the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, ACOED, Ijanikin, the Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Epe among others.

Recall that the staff unions of the institutions had on Monday protested the non-payment of N30,000 monthly minimum wage to their members and locked the gates to the instructions.

The Vice-Chancellor of LASU, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, SAN, was among top management staff of LASU not allowed into the campus by the protesting workers on Monday.

The staff unions involved are the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, the Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT.

Others are the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics, SSANIP and the College of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU among others.

In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021 which includes more than 1,500 universities across 93 countries and regions (making it the largest and most diverse university rankings to date), University of Ibadan (UI) took the number one spot in Nigeria and also ranked at number 401–500 in the world.

Lagos State University (LASU) took the second place and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) occupied the third position at number 501-600 and 601-800 respectively.

The ranking also placed Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State (801-1000) as the best private university and 4th on the national ranking. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1000+) and Obafemi Awolowo University (OUA) Ile-Ife (1001+) occupied the 5th and 6th position positions.

A statement by Tokunbo Wahab, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, says the seven schools that will benefit from the initiative are Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State Polytechnic, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Lagos College of Health Technology and Lagos State College of Nursing and Midwifery.

The statement reads ”Governor Sanwo-Olu approved the virtual classes to ensure physical distancing among students and their lecturers. The move will also help in the maintenance of the State’s tertiary academic calendar despite the COVID-19 pandemic. All students should maximise the unique opportunity to keep themselves engaged while the lockdown arising from the pandemic lasts.”