The leadership of the University of Lagos University (UNILAG) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) again accused the president of the governing council of the institution, Wale Babalakin, of being dictatorial and engaging in illegality in university administration.
In its letter to the members of the union signed by its chairman, Dele Ashiru, ASUU stated that it had received complaints from seven lecturers who had received queries from Mr Babalakin’s instruction from the university registrar, Oladejo Azeez.
The letter was titled; “Creeping Tyranny and Looming Anarchy in the University of Lagos.”
Some lecturers received queries signed by the registrar as to why they embarked on properly approved trips, according to the union. In the letter, the lecturers were also asked to submit their answers directly to the chairman of the council.
Excerpt from the letter reads;
“Our fears that a vicious, vindictive and meddlesome leviathan is at the head of the University of Lagos Council has sadly been confirmed.
“Our union has received an avalanche of complaints from members who are in receipt of “queries” most recklessly and illegally authorised by the Pro-Chancellor, Dr Wale Babalakin through the registrar.
“This dictatorial, unprocedural, illegal and deliberate by-pass of the university administration, whose duty is that of day-to-day running of the university is strange and dangerous. It is sad and shameful that the purported report(s) which the pro-chancellor is acting upon has not been received by the university’s council. This arbitrariness and ‘one man show’ is repulsive and unacceptable to our union as it smacks of vindictiveness.”
ASUU has, therefore, advised the concerned lecturers to immediately contact the union for “proper guidance and further actions.” The union assured its members that it would stop at nothing to resist what it described as “creeping tyranny and looming anarchy.”
But the chairman of the governing council has denied any wrongdoing, saying that the law establishing the university supports his action.
Mr Babalakin challenged ASUU to back up its claim with facts and figures. He said his action did not violate any specific law.
The message reads; “It is important that ASUU backs up its allegation by referring to (a) specific law that has been violated. Please refer to Section 7 of the University Act, which defines the power of (the) Council. The registrar and secretary to (the) council is in the best position to advise on the procedure of Council. Thank you.”
Section 7 of the University of Lagos Act referenced by Mr Babalakin reads as follows:
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act relating to the Visitor, the Council shall be the governing body of the university and shall be charged with the general control and superintendence of the policy, finances and property of the university, including its public relations.
(2) There shall be a committee of the Council, to be known as the Finance and General Purposes Committee, which shall, subject to the directions of the Council, exercise control over the property and expenditure of the University, other than that of the colleges, and perform such other functions of the Council as the Council may from time to time delegate to it.
(3) Provision shall be made by statute with respect to the constitution of the Finance and General Purposes Committee.
(4) The Council shall ensure that proper accounts of the University and the colleges are kept and that the accounts of the University and of each of the colleges are audited annually by auditors appointed by the Council from the list and in accordance with guidelines supplied by the Auditor-General for the Federation; and that an annual report is published by the University together with certified copies of the said accounts as audited.
(5) Subject to this Act and the statutes, the Council and the Finance and General Purposes Committee may each make rules for the purposes of exercising any of their respective functions or of regulating their own procedure.
(6) Rules made under subsection (5) or this section by the Finance and General Purposes Committee shall not come into force unless approved by the Council; and in so far as any rules so made by that committee conflict with any directions given by the Council (whether before or after the coming into force of the rules in question), the directions or the Council shall prevail.
(7) There shall be paid to the members of the Council, of the Finance and General Purposes Committee and of any other committee set up by the council respectively allowances in respect of travelling and other reasonable expenses, at such rates as may from time to time be fixed by the Council.
(8) The Council shall meet as and when necessary for the performance of its functions under this Act, and shall meet at least three times in every year.
(9) Any three members of the Council may by notice in writing signed by them require the Pro-Chancellor to convene a special meeting of the Council.
In a telephone interview with our reporter, ASUU chairman Dele Ashiru insisted that there is nowhere in the section referenced by Mr Babalakin that empowers an individual to take a position on behalf of the Council without being authorized by the Council.
The governing council has more than one member, according to Mr Ashiru, and the council’s decisions are not reached “in the corners of the room of anyone but in the chamber of the council in the presence of other members.”
He said; “We know the University Act and we read it many times. There is just nowhere that an individual on behalf of the council can take any unilateral decision. Let the chair of the council also tell us where the chairman’s section 7 replaces the use of’ council’ with the’ chairman of the council.’
“Good enough, our chairman is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and some of our members are lecturers of law. What we cannot take is arbitrariness and someone not believing in any constituted authority. We won’t be taken for a ride. Let the chairman tell us when the decision on the action he has just taken was decided by council members.”