18 professors jostle to become UI VC

No fewer than 18 candidates have begun campaign in the race to fill the vacant office of the vice-chancellor (VC) of the University of Ibadan (UI) ahead of December 1.

According to NAN, the candidates, who are all professors, are now campaigning to members of the premier university, which was recently named the best in West Africa, on who will succeed Abel Olayinka, the incumbent VC.

Those in the race are Babatunde Salako, Babatunde Adeleke, Razaq Rom-Kalilu, Hakeem Fawehimi, Raheem Lawal, Adeyinka Aderinto, Aderemi Raji-Oyelade, Oluwabunmi Olapade-Olaopa, Kayode Adebowale and Kolapo Amzat.

Others are Clement Kolawole, Olusegun Ademowo, Oladele Layiwola, Temitope Alonge, Anthony Kadoye Onifade, Ebenezer Farombi, Femi Mimiko and H. A. Saliu.

According to some members of the community, who pleaded anonymity, the appointment process for a new VC has been compromised by some “nefarious allegations and counter-allegations.”

Morenike Afolabi, UI’s deputy registrar for senate, admission, and affiliated institution, in a memo, said a total of nine professors have now submitted their nomination forms.

She said the submissions were made for senate representatives on the joint council and senate selection board, which is to appoint the next VC to serve a single tenure of five years.

It is understood that two of the nine, who expressed interest, would be elected as representatives by September 21 via a zoom platform created by members of the University of Ibadan community.

The two candidates, who emerged as the elected senate representatives, would then select one of them to become the new VC on September 23.

The duo are to join the chairman of the council and two other external council members to make a total of five people that will select the VC from the screened candidates.