Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent intervention into the ongoing crising among the leadership of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has expressed that Buhari has no interest in the ongoing crisis currently rocking the school.
The minister stated this, yesterday, at the inauguration of the special presidential visitation panel to the university, as constituted and approved by the President.
He maintained that Buhari intervened because due process was not followed in the removal and appointment of the vice chancellor and acting vice chancellor respectively.
Adamu explained that the crisis in UNILAG had lingered unabated in spite of the interventions by the leadership of the Ministry of Education.
Meanwhile, the University of Lagos Mass Communication Alumni Association (UMCAA) has urged the visitation panel to restore normalcy in the institution by conducting its affairs with equity and justice.
It also asked the Federal Government to ensure that visitation panels to all Nigerian universities are regular to prevent crises lingering for too long before they are addressed.
The group, in a statement signed by its President, Vincent Oyo and Chairman, Media Forum, Prof. Oluyinka Esan, stated that quality education remains the key to the growth of any nation and the unlocking of its great minds.
It added that the Visitor to the university and the Federal Government should heed the recommendations of the visitation panel and bring end to the crisis as soon as possible.
“The visitation panel should conduct its affairs with equity and justice, and ensure that its recommendations are presented within the stipulated time. The welfare of students and the protection of the UNILAG brand equity should be paramount above all personal and sectional interests.
“All stakeholders should support the newly-appointed Acting Vice Chancellor and the interim Chairman of the Governing Council to restore confidence, enhance peace and stability.
“The students of the University of Lagos should have platforms and structures (including student unionism) in place to enable them liaise with the university management, discuss their welfare, and be fully engaged as mature citizens in preparation for the onerous leadership tasks ahead of them,” the group said.
