VC saga: Sanwo-Olu inaugurates LASU’s new governing council

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state, has inaugurated members of the new governing council of Lagos State University (LASU).

The governor had in June named the 13-member council based on the report of the special visitation panel on the appointment of the varsity’s 9th vice-chancellor.

NAN reports that Sanwo-Olu inaugurated the new governing council on Thursday at the Lagos House, Ikeja.

According to the governor, the inauguration signalled a new chapter of progress and resolution of issues surrounding the appointment of a substantive 9th VC for the university.

Sanwo-Olu also called on members of the council to use their wealth of experience to impact positively on the management, policy formulation and smooth running of the university.

He explained that the appointment of the council’s members was based on their pedigrees, competencies, work experience and the individual and collective contributions to the development of their states and the country at large.

The governor also charged them to ensure compliance with relevant laws, guidelines and procedures of the institution in the course of discharging their duties.

“As the supreme governing authority of the University, I charge you to give top priority to implementation of quality policies and programmes that will accelerate the pace of development and growth of the university to make it rank among the best in the world,” he said.

“One of the key responsibilities of the  council which require your urgent attention is the activation of the process for the appointment of a new vice-chancellor for the university.

“In performing this responsibility, I urge you to be guided by the lessons from past events and ensure strict adherence to relevant laws, guidelines and procedures.”

Tokunbo Wahab, the governor’s special adviser on education, said all members of the former council were returned, except the erstwhile pro-chancellor and chairman of the council.

In his acceptance speech, David Sunmoni, the governing council’s chairman, assured the governor that his team would do their best to deliver the mandate given to them to ensure that the varsity moved to the next level.

LASU has been in crisis since the tenure of Olarewaju Fagbohun, the institution’s eighth VC, expired on January 11, 2021.

Sanwo-Olu had earlier cancelled the previous process for the appointment of a new VC on the back of petitions arising from the selection procedure.