Sanwo-Olu inaugurates 10-member panel to tackle LASU’s challenges

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos governor, has inaugurated a 10-member visitation panel to identify and proffer solutions to challenges at the Lagos State University (LASU).

According to NAN, the governor spoke during the inauguration in Marina on Tuesday.

He said the setting-up of the panel was based on the recommendation of the Bamitale Omole-led LASU vice-chancellorship panel constituted to resolve issues trailing the appointment of the university’s ninth VC.

”The special visitation panel recommended the immediate inauguration of a full visitation panel to holistically assess LASU’s administrative process, academic programmes, and finances,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Sanwo-Olu said the panel will assess LASU’s projects, staff welfare, industrial harmony, progress, and challenges, in order to ascertain if the university is being run in accordance with laws and the objectives/vision of its founders.

He also said the panel’s terms of reference included inquiring into the level of implementation of the last visitation panel report of 2009.

According to him, the panel is to evaluate the quality of leadership in the university in terms of the roles of the governing councils, the vice-chancellors, and other principal officers since the last visitation panel.

“‘Examine the financial management of the university, including statutory allocations and internally generated revenue over the recommended period and determine whether it was in compliance with appropriate regulations, statutes, acts, and laws of the university,” the governor added.

”To investigate the application of funds, particularly special grants and subventions for accreditation exercises, TETFUND, and loans meant for specific projects, in order to determine the status of such projects and their relevance for further funding.

”To determine the adequacy or otherwise of staff and examine the quality of its staff development programmes in the context of emerging changes and development in the global arena.

“Examine compliance with the law and extant regulations of the university in terms of promotion, welfare, and disciplinary procedures/measures for both staff and students.

“Determine the relationship between the university and the various statutory bodies it interacts with, according to its law, for the purpose of supervision, planning, finance, discipline, guidance and any other relationships with the Governing Council, the National Universities Commission, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, the Office of the Special Adviser on Tertiary Education as well as the Visitor to the University.”

Members of the panel include Abdulrahmon Bello, ex-VC at the University of Lagos (UNILAG); Dipo Kolawol, ex-VC at the Ekiti State University (EKSU); and Joseph Ajienka, ex-VC at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).

Following the leadership crisis that rocked the varsity, Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello was appointed as the ninth substantive VC of LASU, in September.