Lagos — It was unfortunate to see a Vice Chancellor of a reputable university stammering when asked a simple question and being unable give adequate answers but babbling. One of the questions posed to him is 'how many staff are working with him' but he could not mutter a correct answer.
The lingering crisis in Lagos State University (LASU) reached its peak last week when members of Lagos State House Assembly summoned the Vice Chancellor, Professor Lateef Hussein, and deans of various faculties of the institution. The call was as a result of de-accreditation of 10 courses in the institution which the lawmakers were not happy with, saying that it might lead to the closure of the school by the National Universities Commission (NUC). Hon. Sanai Agunbiade representing Ikorodu 1 and also a product of LASU brought the issue before the House.
While questioning the Vice Chancellor on why the courses were being de-accredited, he explained that lack of infrastructure and inadequate lecturers, including lack of funds made the commission to deny LASU the courses. As a matter of fact, Professor Lateef vividly explained the problem confronting the university but he failed to see that he was the cause of the predicament being encountered by both students and the lecturers.
Part of what he said was that there is no laboratories, libraries especially for law department which led to its de-accreditation.
However, the deans of faculties and chairman of ASUU and LASU shed more light on where and how the lawmakers can find a lasting solution to the lingering crisis in the school. They all pointed out that VC is the major problem of the institution.
Chairman of the institution's branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr. Kabir Akinyemi, while briefing the lawmakers accused the Vice Chancellor, Lateef Hussein of sitting on the promotion of some of the lecturers since 2005.
He said that the union had been sending warning signals and calling on interested persons to save the institution before the NUC finally visited. He also said the VC had successfully driven away qualified lecturers and had appointed his cronies and made them heads despite the fact that such lecturers were on contract.
According to him, the institution's Director of Academic Planning, Olanrewaju John who was appointed and made a level 14 staff with just a Bachelor of Art (BA) and barely six years experience for a job that should be handled by a Professor, was the least qualified for the job. "LASU is the only university where the Director of Academic Planning is a non academic staff and so grossly inexperienced.
"Due to poor condition of services, many of the qualified lecturers have gone for greener pastures," he said, adding that the VC appointed non-academic staff as lecturers in the part time arm of the institution.
Part of the accusations included that he (Hussein) misappropriated several billions of naira granted the school by the state government.
While the Faculty of Law only has one professor as against the NUC requirement of six, the Accounting Department, Dr. Akinyemi said, had no single PhD holder.
On his part, Ayo Omotayo, Acting head of Geography department, said he was very sure that his department would lose its accreditation next month when the NUC visits. He accused the management of the school of administrative high-handedness and incompetence since 2005.
"Between 2005 and now, LASU has lost all its competent lecturers. Even if the pay was bad, if you are not encouraged or if you are hounded for speaking the truth, then you would move to where you can be encouraged," he said, adding that this was the reason most lecturers ran away from the institution.
He also accused the House Committee on Education headed by Wahab Alawiye-King of reneging in its duties regarding the school.
Denying the VC's claim that the institution was not well funded, Dr. Olatunji Abanikannda, a lecturer in the institution, said the funds were either misappropriated or not prioritised.
"All the problems of the institution are self-inflicted by the VC. What happened to those who grew with LASU? The rules of the school were never obeyed by the Vice Chancellor," he said, asking what happened to the over N2.5 billion made available to the institution recently?
When asked for his reaction, Professor Hussein only blamed the institution's senate and governing board for its problems. He also blamed external regulators for the delay in promotion of the lecturersBut he was quickly reminded by the Speaker of the House, Ikuforiji, that he had the power to influence promotions.
After series of complaints by the deans and others, the lawmakers asked the vice chancellor to respond but the way he approached the questions put the members off. He started as if he has something meaning to say but at the end nothing was said to prove the deans and Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) chairman wrong.
The lawmakers were not happy with the way he answered the questions including those who came to witness the sitting.
While reacting, Speaker, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji made it known to everybody that House will not allow anybody to interfere in the incisive decision that will be taken on the ongoing crisis rocking the state university.
The Speaker who explained that he had on several occasions intervened in LASU crisis to ensure the school gets what it wants, said he was disappointed that despite giving the VC a soft landing before, he had refused to adhere to the advice of the lawmakers.
He vowed that the lawmakers would take a drastic decision and that that they would not allow any elder statesman no matter how highly placed to influence their decision as it was in the past. "There are a number of issues that we are not happy with because this is no longer the LASU of our dream", he said.
Some of the lawmakers also demanded for the release of the white paper submitted to the Executive by the visiting panel set up to look into the crises being faced by the institution several months ago.
A day after the debate, the lawmakers as a matter of urgency called for the removal of vice chancellor. Following deliberation on the LASU crisis the House last Tuesday passed a vote of no confidence on the V.C and called on the visitor to the institution, Governor Babatunde Fashola to immediately put the machinery in motion for his removal.
According to the Speaker, "from all that the House gathered at the hearing, it became very clear to us that since the present Vice Chancellor, Prof. Hussain took over the mantle of leadership, a lot has happened.
"It is clear to us that after his initial success, the rest of his administration has been characterised by falling academic standard, decaying infrastructure, poor human and material resource management, administrative ineptitude, poor human relations and victimisation in various forms leading to exodus of committed members of staff, especially the academic staff," Ikuforiji said .
He stressed that the House has continuously and consistently intervened in matters and crisis engulfing the university over a period making several recommendations, which the VC has neglected to the detriment of sound academic environment.
"The House at its executive session decided to pass a vote House also decided to call on the visitor, His Excellency Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Governor of Lagos State to put in motion necessary machinery for the removal of the Vice Chancellor immediately.
"The House also decided to call on the visitor to please put in place immediately, machinery to address the requirement for re-accreditation of the courses that have been denied accreditation and also to ensure no other course is denied accreditation in the future," said the Speaker.
Ikuforiji also explained that the lawmakers are talking about putting in place all that is necessary to have the infrastructure and the required academic staff for the re-accreditation of the denied courses. "That is the brief of the decision taken by this House at the Executive session.
Ikuforiji however, put the decision to vote on the floor and all the members present at the day's sitting voted in favour of it.
LEADERSHIP spoke with Hon. Sanai Agunbiade who raised the motion on the floor of the House after the House passed its vote of no confidence on the VC. He assertsed that Lagos State Assembly could not called for the sack of LASU VC at initially because they want to give him time to correct all the anomalies, adding that as the day he was summoned, they perceived that nothing has been done regards to what happened last time.
"Those who were passionate about the institution had left due to other universities. The way he answered questions on the floor showed that Professor Lateef is no more in control of the school," Agunbiade said.
Continuing, he lamented over the de-accreditation of 10 courses and others who are awaiting accreditation by November, pointing that drastic action needs to be taken to ensure that other causes are accredited.
He said has made effort to give the VC time to control the situation but it was unfortunate that the same problem was brought before the House again, so this prompted us to call for his removal.
The House and the publics are the Governor, Babatunde Fashola to attest to the call of the House.
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