The Presidential Visitation Panel to the University of Lagos has indicated that the Governing Council of the institution has the authority to remove an incumbent Vice-Chancellor.
According to the panel, Section 5 of the Universities Miscellaneous Act 2003 also caused friction between the council and the management.
It added that the university management has presented a memorandum to the panel to amend the affected section in the Universities Miscellaneous Act to rid its governing council of such powers.
The panel, which made the clarifications in a 244-page report which it submitted to the Federal Government, attributed the 2019-2020 crisis in the university to the interpretation of Public Procurement Act 2007.
The report says in part: “The mandate given to the Presidential Visitation Panel is to examine the University from 2016 to 2020. It is observed that there has been several Governing Councils and Managements since then.[1] While the report will endeavour to examine the previous regimes, it will pay closer attention to the most recent regime, not just because it is the most recent in time, but also because of useful lessons that can be learnt from the crisis that engulfed the University in 2020, caused by a schism between the Council and the Management, to see what can be learnt for the sake of the future of the University in particular and other universities.
“The festering crisis had its root cause on the conflict in the interpretation of the procurement Act 2007 and the Lagos University Act 1967/University’s (miscellaneous Act 1993 and its amendment Act 2012). On the other hand, there are allegations from Council that financial information of the University were hidden from Council except for sketchy extract which were hardly transparent for an informed decision.”
“While the Act prescribes for the Vice-Chancellor and the Senate to collaborate over academic programs, students, admissions, teaching and research, Section 7(1) of the University of Lagos Act stipulates that the Governing Council is “charged with general control and superintendence of policy, finances and property of the University.
“The Panel observed that the Vice-Chancellor was removed in August, 2020 by the Babalakin led Council. In its Memorandum to the panel, Management referenced the statutory powers of the Governing Council to remove a Vice- Chancellor and sought an amendment of the law in order to ensure that the Governing Council is unable to remove the Vice-Chancellor without the participation of Senate’s two representatives as provided in Section 5(9) of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 2003.”
