The 51st convocation of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) was unceremoniously suspended last week to the chagrin of the institution’s community. KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE reports on the undercurrent beneath the incident.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020, would have been the second day of the 51st convocation of the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
According to the programme outlined by the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe on Monday March 2, 2020, graduating students from the Faculties of Education, Social Sciences, Arts, Environmental Science and Science were meant to receive their degrees on March 10, 2020 at the J.F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium of the university.
Theirs would have been followed by the ceremony for students of the Faculties of Engineering, Management Sciences, Law, Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Dental Sciences, Pharmacy and the Distance Learning Institute (DLI) on March 11, and those of the School of Post-graduate Studies would have held on March 12.
Monday, March 9, 2020 would have been the convocation lecture, with the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami as lecturer. However, the choice of Pantami as lecturer was one of the reasons the convocation was suspended.
Illumination from letters
On March 2, 2020, the Convocation press conference held at the Senate Chambers of the university in the presence of principal officers, deans, directors and other senior workers of the university.
However, while journalists listened as Prof. Ogundipe outlined activities for the four-day programme, they were oblivious to the exchange of some correspondence that would impact the outcome of the press conference.
On the same day, some letters were exchanged between the Vice-Chancellor and the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr. Wale Babalakin; between Babalakin and the Education Minister, Malam Adamu Adamu; and between the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education (FME) Abuja, Solomon Ochono and the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Rasheed.
When two days later, rumours got the round that the convocation had been suspended; it was the correspondence between Ochono and Rasheed that threw light on the conundrum between the Pro-Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor.
Ochono’s memo to Raheed inadvertently exposed the content of Babalakin’s letter to Adamu, which claimed the convocation was not approved by the university’s governing council.
The letter entitled “Re: Invitation to the 2019 Convocation Ceremony of the University of Lagos” reads: “The attention of the Honourable Minister has been drawn to the attached copy of letter dated March 2, 2020 from the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr. B.O. Babalakin to the effect that the 2019 convocation ceremonies were not approved by the Governing Council in line with the laws of the University.
“I am to, therefore, request that you kindly advise the Vice-Chancellor to suspend the convocation and ensure full compliance with due process.”
In his memo to the Vice-Chancellor, Babalakin questioned the choice of Pantami as Convocation Lecturer after the Vice-Chancellor had announced President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana as the lecturer at the Council Meeting of January 22, 2020.
He also claimed that the four emeritus Professors nominated as would-be recipients of honorary degrees (Prof. Oye Ibidapo Obe; the late Dr. Stella Adadevoh; Alhaji Muhammadu Indimi and Chief Biodun Shobanjo) had not been approved by Council.
He said: “It is also noteworthy that no memo was presented to Council about the Convocation ceremony. We discussed the proposed budget for the convocation ceremony and I specifically wrote that the budget should be implemented in a manner consistent with the procurement laws of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“The Vice-Chancellor informed Council at its last meeting that the Convocation lecturer will be the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo. Council was very happy about this choice. In the programme that I saw in the newspaper, the Convocation Lecturer was no longer advertised to be the President of Ghana. No one informed Council about this change or the reason for the change.
“Council stated clearly at its last meeting that it will only consider nominees for the award of honorary degrees after receiving Senate’s recommendation.
“I need to state categorically that the letter of the Registrar and the invitation of the Vice-Chancellor contravene the laws of Nigeria fundamentally. And the university Council cannot be part of this.”
Responding in a letter also dated March 2, 2020, Ogundipe said Babalakin was present at the meetings where the Convocation lecturer as well as the nominees for honorary degrees was discussed.
The letter reads: “Mr. Pro-Chancellor, it is clear from the contents of the letter that all information relating to the impending convocation ceremonies were brought to the notice of Council as you made copious references to it. In addition, Sir, you personally made input to the convocation arrangements. These statements can be verified by the audio recording and minutes of the Council meetings of 21 and 22 January, 2020.
“You will recall that I said that the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, had accepted to be the convocation lecturer. You then advised that we seek the support of Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa to assist in this regard.
“At the point, when it became clear that we could not get the President of Ghana, Senate duly approved the new convocation lecturer in the person of Dr. Isa Alli Ibrahim (Pantami), Honourable Minister of Communication and Digital Economy and he has graciously accepted.
“You will also recollect that the last meeting of Council preceded the January 2020 Senate meeting at which the recommendations of the honours committee of Senate were slated. To ensure the smooth management of the process, I proactively gave Council an advance notice of the proposed three honorees and a fourth name, Dr. Stella Adadevoh was suggested by you for a posthumous award and Council agreed.
“Council then decided that since the next Council meeting before the Convocation ceremonies would be too close for inclusion of the honorees into the convocation order of proceedings, you proposed that I should meet Dr. John Momoh, to consider the Senate recommendations on behalf of Council. This was done and a letter dated February 17, 2020 was sent to Dr. Momoh. Having followed your directives, I fail to see how I have contravened any law.”
In the minutes of the said Council meeting obtained by The Nation, the Convocation was discussed under agendas 19.50 and 19.51. The names of the nominees for the honorary degrees was discussed; as well as the proposed budget of N70 million for the programme.
On receiving the minutes of the Council’s Meeting, the Senate of the University held an emergency meeting on Wednesday (March 4) and tried to get the Council to allow the convocation to go on as scheduled but it was not to be.
The disagreement between the Vice-Chancellor and the Pro-Chancellor had started long before the convocation issue.
Workers, parents, students, disappointed
A member of the UNILAG Senate, Prof. Ngozi Osarenren of the Faculty of Education said minutes of the Council’s meeting showed that the Pro-Chancellor was present when the convocation programme was discussed.
She said: “(During) the emergency Senate meeting on Wednesday (March 4), minutes of meeting exist where 2019 convocation ceremony activities were discussed.
These are all captured in the minute. The damage to the image of the University of Lagos is unquantifiable.”
On the suspension, Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNILAG chapter, Dr. Dele Ashiru, described it as wicked.
He said: “As you may be aware, the agenda of Wale Babalakin and his pay masters is to discredit the Nigerian Public University system as inefficient in order to justify their call for the privatisation of universities.
“In view of this ASUU UNILAG condemns, in the strongest terms, this wicked, inhuman, egoistic and satanic postponement of the convocation ceremony of our great University in order to massage the over bloated ego of an imperial Pro-Chancellor.”
Former Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), UNILAG chapter, Mr Oriwaye Adefolalu, Adefolalu said as alumni of the university, Ogundipe and Babalakin ought to work together for its progress. He blamed the university’s alumni association for not calling the duo to order.
He said: “It is sadder to note that more than 90 per cent of members of the UNILAG Council and management are members of UNILAG alumni. For them not to call themselves or their members who are at the helm of affairs in UNILAG to order is very much unfortunate.”
Piqued by the development, the UNILAG chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has passed a no-confidence vote on the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr. Wale Babalakin, even as it called for his removal.
The union passed the resolution at a congress held at the University on Wednesday during which it declared him a persona non grata. The union allegedly warned him to steer clear of the campus.
ASUU-UNILAG Chairman, Dr. Dele Ashiru told The Nation that the Union would enforce its resolution, urging the Federal Ministry of Education, to remove him, claiming that he had caused more harm than good.
Ashiru said: “We are asking the Federal Government to remove Babalakin as Pro-Chancellor because our union is going to enforce that resolution. Babalakin should not be seen anywhere on this campus.
“We want him removed for deliberately misinforming the Ministry of Education, an action that led to the cancellation of our convocation. His prayer to the ministry was that Council did not approve the convocation.
“Available evidence in the minutes states that the Council, during its January 21 and 22 meetings, was informed about the convocation and approved the budget for the convocation.”
Following the congress, the lecturers moved round the campus, making a stop outside the institution’s main gate of the university singing solidarity songs and carrying placards calling for Babalakin’s removal.
Some of the placards read: “Dictator Pro-Chancellor must GO”; “Remove Babalakin. When? Remove him NOW!”
They expressed disappointment that at a time the suspension of the convocation was causing ruckus on campus, Babalakin could travel to London to attend the 80th birthday party of Justice Adesola George Oguntade.
“You can imagine that at a time like this he is right now in London attending the birthday party of Justice Oguntade!” a senior lecturer told The Nation.
It is not certain how much out of the N70 million approved by the Council for the convocation has gone to waste as a result of the suspension. However, on their parts, some parents had invested funds towards catering, venue and others. Some even had booked flights from various places to attend the convocation in Lagos. They expressed disappointment about the suspension.
Chairman of the UNILAG Parents’ Forum, Mr. Babatunde Majekodunmi said he had received complaints from many parents but appealed to them to be patient.
“Yes, I have received many responses from parents because they are not happy. I continue to plead with them to exercise patience. We are working with the university authorities to reschedule the convocation,” he said.
Many of the graduating students were not happy about the postponement as well. They had made preparations to celebrate their last days as students of UNILAG.
A graduating student in the History and International Relations Department (names withheld) said many of his peers were disappointed.
“Most of them were not happy about the postponement. Some had already paid for canopy and chairs to entertain guests during the convocation only for it to be postponed at the last minute,” he said.
Mark Olukoyejo, a graduating student of the Department of Guidance and Counselling Education, said many of his classmates, especially those participating in the Batch B Stream II of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp had spent a lot on convocation since they would be going to camp later. He said the Dean of Students’ Affairs (DSA) apologised for the suspension.
“People had spent a lot to make things work. The DSA apologised to us that they were very sorry for what happened; that if it inconvenienced us in any way we should please calm down,” he said.
A text to Dr. Babalakin’s phone seeking more clarification on the matter was not replied. The Nation learnt that the Federal Ministry of Education has called the parties involved in the disagreement to a peace meeting in Abuja.
Perhaps, a new date will soon be fixed once the squabble is settled.
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