The Ministry of Education’s Director Press and Public Relations, Ben-Bem Goong, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement was titled, ‘Re: Report of special visitation panel to UNILAG’.

It read in part, “President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Visitor to the University of Lagos has approved the Report of the Special Visitation Panel to the University of Lagos.

“The highlights of the findings and recommendations approved by Mr. President are as follows – the removal of Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe as the Vice Chancellor did not follow due process.

“The Vice Chancellor was not granted an opportunity to defend himself on the allegations upon which his removal was based. He should accordingly be re-instated.

“All allegations made against the Vice Chancellor and the management of the University before and after the Constitution of the Special Visitation Panel should be referred to regular Visitation Panel for thorough investigation and necessary recommendations.

“The process adopted by the Council in the appointment of Professor Omololu Soyombo as Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University was inconsistent with the provisions of the Law relating to the appointment of an Acting Vice-Chancellor.

“The Governing Council should be dissolved.

“Mr. President after careful review of the report has approved all the recommendations of the Panel.

‘Accordingly, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe is hereby reinstated as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos.

“The Governing Council of the University of Lagos Chaired by Dr. B. O. Babalakin is hereby dissolved. Mr. President hopes these steps will bring peace, stability, focus and direction to the University.”

In the suit, marked NICN/LA/283/2020, the UNILAG Senate had kicked against Ogundipe’s sacking by the university’s Governing Council and his replacement with Prof. Theophilus Soyombo, as acting VC.

The defendants in the suit were the varsity’s Governing Council, it’s now suspended Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN), the Registrar, Mr. Oladejo Azeez, Soyomo and Ogundipe.

The Senate had sought a court declaration that Ogundipe’s purported removal by the Governing Council vide an August 12, 2020 letter, was not procedural and was null and void.

The Senate had also prayed the court to restrain Soyombo from parading himself as UNILAG acting VC.

However, the Senate, through its counsel, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), filed an application on Monday to discontinue the suit.

Osipitan told our correspondent that the decision to withdraw the suit followed the latest developments.

The President had on Friday suspended both Babalakin and Ogundipe and reversed Soyombo’s appointment as acting VC.

The varsity Senate on Monday also elected Prof. Folasade Ogunsola as acting VC.

The Senate also kicked against the removal of Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe as Vice-Chancellor of the institution by the Governing Council.

Recall that Wale Babalakin, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, announced their decision-making on Wednesday in Abuja to remove Ogundipe as VC of UNILAG, accusing him of gross misconduct and acts of corruption.

According to reports, a meeting was held on Thursday by 88 members and anchored by Prof Chioma Ago, a former Dean of the Faculty of Law, the institution’s Senate said the removal of Ogundipe was against UNILAG’s regulation, adding that the Council removed Ogundipe without giving him the opportunity to defend himself.

“Part of the condition for the removal of a Vice Chancellor is that a joint committee of the Senate and Governing Council must sit and investigate with three representatives from each side but the Senate was never represented, the Senate was never consulted, the Senate never knew the allegations against their member”.

“The removal of Prof Ogundipe did not follow the Act establishing the university. He was not given fair hearing and the opportunity to defend himself”.

“The Senate therefore rejects the removal of Prof Ogundipe and the appointment of an Acting VC,” a member, who attended the meeting, told SaharaReporters”.

It was gathered that the joint meeting is holding after leadership of the unions had met separately.

As of 11.30am, the meeting was ongoing at the Council Chamber Foyer of the university.

During the meeting, the leaders of the unions took turns to address the workers.

It was also gathered that an emergency Senate meeting held on Thursday morning in the university.

“We will communicate the outcome of our meeting officially. I don’t want to be the one to divulge the outcome of the meeting,” a member of the Senate told our correspondent.

The lingering faceoff between Ogundipe and the Chairman, Governing Council of the institution, Dr Wale Babalakin, worsened on Wednesday as the council announced the removal of Ogundipe from office .

Ogundipe’s removal was contained in a statement by the Registrar of the institution, Oladejo Azeez.

The announcement came after a meeting it reportedly held in Abuja.

It was gathered that 12 members of the council were present at the meeting and seven voted for Ogundipe’s removal, four voted against it and one voted that he be placed on suspension

But Ogundipe had described his “purported removal” from office as untrue and illegal.

Ogundipe said this in a statement he issued on Wednesday in Lagos.

”The attention of the University of Lagos Management has been drawn to a notice to the general public on the removal of the Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, dated Aug. 12 and signed by Oladejo Azeez, Esq, Registrar and Secretary to council.

”It states that the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has been removed from office with immediate effect.

”The purported removal is an illegality and cannot stand as it is in clear violation of the University of Lagos Act as amended by the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act, 2003.

”Therefore, members of the University of Lagos community and the general public are advised to disregard the information as contained in the notice.

”Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe remains the Vice-Chancellor of University of Lagos,” he said.

Details later…

Soyombo’s appointment was announced in a statement released by the Registrar and Secretary to the council, Oladejo Azeez. This comes hours after Ogundipe released a statement insisting he is still the Vice-Chancellor of the institution.

Azeez in the statement released said Ogundipe was duly removed from office.

The statement reads “My attention has been drawn to a document circulating under the hand and signature of the former Vice-Chancellor of University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, FAS. The letter purports to deny his removal by the Governing Council of University at its Emergency Meeting of Wednesday, August 12, 2020. For the avoidance of doubt, I am in my capacity as Registrar and Secretary to Council the only custodian of the minutes of Council and the authorising officer on behalf of Council to issue official statements pertaining to all Council Affairs. Members of the public are hereby advised to totally disregard the statement attributed to the said former Vice-Chancellor. The position remains that he was lawfully removed by the Governing Council at a meeting fully attended by all Council members. I also wish to use the opportunity to inform members of the public that Council at the said meeting duly appointed Professor Theophilus Omololu Soyombo of the Faculty of Social Sciences, the University of Lagos as Vice-Chancellor of the University in an Acting Capacity.”

Ogundipe in a statement following the Registrar’s announcement of the Governing Council’s decision to remove him said his removal from office was false and merely a figment of the Registrar’s imagination.

The statement titled: “Notice to the General Public on the Removal of the Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos by Oladejo Azeez, Esq” reads:

“The attention of the University of Lagos (Unilag) management has been drawn to the ‘Notice to the General Public on the Removal of the Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos’; dated August 12, 2020 and signed by Oladejo Azeez, Esq, Registrar and Secretary to Council, stating that the current Vice Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, FAS has been removed from office with immediate effect.

“This is untrue and a figment of his imagination. Therefore, stakeholders of UNILAG and the general public are advised to disregard this mischievous disinformation about the sitting Vice Chancellor of Unilag, contained in that notice. Professor Ogundipe still remains UNILAG’s Vice Chancellor.