From Frank Ikpefan, Abuja
The report and recommendations of the Special Visitation Panel that looked into the management crisis at the University of Lagos would be subjected to thorough scrutiny, the Federal Government has assured.
Education Minister Mallam Adamu Adamu made the promise while receiving the report from the panel char by Prof. Tukur Sa’ad on Thursday in Abuja.
Adamu also received a report on the administrative audit of the African University of Science and Technology.
He assured the public that the government would dispense justice on the UNILAG crisis irrespective of whoever is favoured or reprimanded in the report.
The government had set up the panel to look into the crisis rocking UNILAG, following the removal of Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe as its Vice Chancellor by the suspended Governing Council, headed by Dr. Wale Babalakin SAN), the Pro-Chancellor of the varsity.
Inaugurating the panel on August 26, the minister had warned the seven-member panel against interfering with the activities of UNILAG management.
He had asked the panel to restrict its mission to the crisis alone.
Adamu said: “I am very happy to learn that the panel worked very hard during the two weeks given to it in order to arrive at recommendations which I hope will assist the visitor in taking an informed decision to solve the lingering crisis.
“It is my hope that the panel interacted with all officials and all stakeholders who had something to contribute towards the solution of the crisis in the course of its assignment in order to have a fair balance of issues at hand.
“The Visitor to the university, after due consideration of the report, will take a decision on the matter as appropriate in order to restore peace and conducive learning atmosphere in the university of Lagos and the university system as a whole.
“I can assure you that we are for justice, whoever it is for or against. We are going to subject it to the closest scrutiny. This report, I believe, is what we are looking for but we will look at so closely if there is something we are not looking for we will tell you and we will reject it.”
Prof Sa’ad, said the panel was hopeful that the submitted report will bring an end to the crisis in the university.
He stated there had been disquiet within the university in the past one year among management, council and some stakeholders, arising from allegations of mismanagement against the management of the university.
Prof Sa’ad said: “We cannot divulge any content of the report but we are happy that we have completed this work and we hope this special presidential visitation panel would have made some contributions towards resolving the problem in the University of Lagos and towards preventing similar problems in other universities all over the country.”
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