EXCLUSIVE! Who Will Succeed Ogundipe as Next UNILAG Vice Chancellor?

EXCLUSIVE! Who Will Succeed Ogundipe as Next UNILAG Vice Chancellor?

As the prestigious University of Lagos moves to finally pick its 13th Vice Chancellor, THECONSCIENCEng has authoritatively uncovered some key insights into possible scenarios and twists that could play out.

The stage is now set and the clock is ticking fast towards the final hours of unveiling the successor to Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, a revered Professor of Botany who has served the institution since November 2017 as its head honcho.

Under Ogundipe, UNILAG did witness remarkable growth. His tenure has however not being without myriad of tough challenges including a public spat with former Pro Chancellor and Chairman of the university’s Governing Council, Dr Wale Babalakin, for the soul of the Ivory Tower. Insiders claim the ‘witch hunt’ was more for economic control than anything else. The imbroglio produced a Professor of Sociology, Omololu Soyombo, as a 10-day acting Vice Chancellor before he stepped down.

The easy going incumbent UNILAG Vice Chancellor whose complete gentleman image and simple looking frame belie the grit, doggedness and tenacity that characterised his trajectory could be described as a cat with nine lives. Though suspended in the heat of the face-off, he was indeed reinstated on November 11, 2020 to honourably complete his mission, to the wild jubilation and admiration of the University community.

The Federal Government later in September 2021 faulted the claim by former Pro-chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dr. Wale Babalakin, that the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, was indicted by the Presidential Visitation panel to the institution.

In a move that appears like a nail on the coffin in March this year, the University Senate voted to support a motion that the university would never confer any honorary award or recognition on Babalakin, based on his role during the crisis that rocked UNILAG in 2020.

Who will succeed Ogundipe and who will decide that?

According to reliable sources, the seven candidates shortlisted are lecturers in the university from the Faculties of Management Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Arts, Law, Sciences, and the College of Medicine.

They are Abayomi Akinyeye of the Department of History, Faculty of Arts; Folasade Ogunsola of the College of Medicine; Mathew Ilori and Adeyinka Adekunle both of the Department of Microbiology and Botany, Faculty of Sciences.

Others are Imran Smith, Faculty of Law; Timothy Nubi, Department of Estate Management at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, and Ayo Olowe of the Department of Finance, Faculty of Management Sciences.

Sources said the Vice Chancellor candidates are all eminently qualified. Most contestants have what it takes in terms of criteria set and one of them has an edge. She has been a DVC before.” That candidate is Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, former Deputy Vice Chancellor Development Services. The University of Whales trained Professor of Medical Microbiology was also the ag. Vice Chancellor in the wake of the Ogundipe vs Babalakin crisis.

But as it stands, the pendulum keeps swinging. Until tomorrow we can’t tell for sure what it will be like. The pendulum can switch in any direction. The atmosphere on campus is calm but uneasy. The anticipation very high.

THECONSCIENCEng confirmed that the council chair is only going to select committee members from the council tonight (Thursday) to reduce lobbying. He holds the ace and a big joker. That will be revealed with the developments expected to emerge tonight.

Will Ogundipe has a say in his replacement? The panel will be the major determining factor based on the score they give each contestant at the interview tomorrow Friday.

The incumbent VC’s influence is mainly in determining the members of senate who will be on the panel and we gathered he already did that yesterday Wednesday.

Interestingly, Ogundipe appears to enjoy a great deal of support from the UNILAG Senate. Recall that it was the Senate who stood by him during the crisis with Dr Babalakin. The Senate had not only rejected the acting VC, Prof. Omololu Soyombo, it insisted that Prof. Ogundipe remained UNILAG’s VC. It reportedly wrote letters to the Presidency and the National Universities Commission (NUC) faulting the removal of the VC. President Buhari acceded to the requests.

Prof Ngozi Osarenren and Prof. Duro Oni have emerged as the two Senate Representatives who will be part of the interviewing panel. What role would they play in the selection mix?

Asides the Vice Chancellor’s selection, a new bursar will also be crowned. The bursar’s interview is currently ongoing behind closed doors.