Press Releases

LASU Disputes: Fashola Inaugurates Six-Member Panel

Dec 9, 2009 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Wednesday inaugurated a six-member Visitation Panel for the Lagos State University (LASU) with a mandate to look into Academics, Personnel and Administrative issues concerning the institution and make recommendations on the way forward.

Coming barely a week after the Governor addressed students of the institution who led a peaceful protest to his office to appeal for restoration of normalcy in the University, the Panel which has six weeks to submit its report, is made up of, Hon. Justice Olaseinde Silva as Chairman, Professor Itse Sagay (Member), Chief Kaoli Olatunji Olusanya (Member), Alhaja Ramdat Muri Okunola (Member), Alhaja Lateefat Olufemi Okunnu (Member) and Mrs. Victoria Akran (Secretary).

Within the six weeks, the Panel is expected to review the students’ affairs policies and practices of the University including admissions, students’ welfare, registrations, attendance in class, conduct of examinations, maintenance of discipline, release of results, record-keeping, issuance of certificates and transcripts, relationship with the students’ union and promulgation and mobilization of graduands to the National Service.

The Panel is also to determine the extent to which appointments, promotions, and discipline of University Staff have been conducted in compliance with the relevant laws of the institution, examine the administration of all funds that have accrued to the University such as subventions from the State Government, all fees and internally generated revenues, donations and Grants-in-aid, having regards to the applicable financial regulations, approval proceedings and established procedures for the award and execution of contracts within the University Community.

The Panel is also expected to review the conditions of service and the welfare of all categories of LASU staff in the context of the Nigerian University System; examine the state of the educational facilities available in the University, the extent of use and maintenance, as well as the adequacy of provision for on-going academic programmes in the Institution.

Other terms of reference of the Panel include, to assess the manpower and infrastructural requirement of the institution, review all the full-time and part-time programmes currently undertaken by the University and the view to maintain quality and ascertain the cause of the recent dispute among the students and staff of the University.

The Panel is also to make recommendations on all the terms of reference and any other matter which it may consider necessary to enable the University to fulfill its objectives and ensure the full exercise of its functions as provided by the Lagos State University Law of 2007.

In his remarks before the inauguration ceremony, Governor Fashola, who said a lot of progress has taken place in the University in the last ten years while so many people have contributed a lot to keep the institution moving pointed out that all these people would desire nothing less than to see the continued progress of the institution.

The Governor also thanked members of the Panel for accepting to serve. “I am delighted”, the Governor said, “on behalf of Lagosians, on behalf of the students and on behalf of all the other stakeholders; the academic and non-academic staff of the institution”, adding, “This Panel has afforded us the unique opportunity to keep the torch alive, to attempt to actualize the dreams of the founding fathers of this University”.

“We believe that this men and women of integrity will become a rallying point to all aggrieved persons, will become the point of mediation, to become the point upon which the decisions to be made by everybody concerned shall be the type to move LASU to the destination as an educational institution of the highest possible level of excellence”, the Governor said.

Expressing delight that the students and staff of the institution heeded to the call by the Government to resume academic activities, the Governor declared, “We thank all the stakeholders who have accorded us the honour by acceding to our call to go back to work. It is an honour we shall not forget”.

Responding on behalf of the members, Justice Silva thanked the Governor for giving them the opportunity to serve and promised that the Panel would do its best to work within its terms of reference to find solution to the crisis in the University.

Also present at the occasion were the Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Sosan, the Head of Service, Alhaji Yakub Balogun, other members of the State Executive Council as well as other top Government functionaries.