Richard Ginika Izuora
Wale Babalakin has resigned his position as Pro-Chancellor and chairman of Council of the University of Lagos, UNILAG.
In a letrter addressed to the Minister of Education on Thursday, he said recent events have made his position untenable.
While thanking the President for the opportunity to serve, Babalakin noted that all the Federal Government Representatives who are the independent members on the Governing Council voted for the removal of the Vice-Chancellor.
Read his letter below;
15th September 2020
The Honourable Minister of Education
Federal Ministry of Education
Block 5A, Federal Secretariat Complex
ShehuShagari Way
Abuja
Attention: Mallam Adamu Adamu
Dear Sir
LETTER OF RESIGNATION
- I would like to thank the President of the Federal of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari for giving me the opportunity to serve as the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (the “University”) from May 2017 till date. I am also grateful that I was considered fit to be the Chairman of the Federal Government Negotiation Team on the Agreement reached with university unions in 2009, from 6th January 2017 till date. I equally want to thank you sir, for your role in recommending me to the President.
- Recent events have made my position in these two offices untenable.
- I led the Governing Council of the University to remove the Vice-Chancellor of the University from office for amongst other reasons:
- I did not receive any sitting allowance.
- I did not receive any tickets or travel allowance.
- I did not receive or use any official car.
- In the University of Maiduguri and University of Lagos, I did not allow the institutions to provide me with food or drinks. I paid for every right or privilege that was conferred on me.
- Even when I travelled to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, I paid for my ticket and my expenses.
- I did not obtain any contract from the education sector in my relative long sojourn in the sector.
- My motivation for my actions is that I had the best education that an intellect could provide in Nigeria and abroad. It is my fervent desire that every Nigerian should have the sort of opportunities I had.
- I remain very grateful to all the members of the Federal Government team on the Governing Council of the University of Lagos, namely:
- Alhaji Ali Hussein;
- Rev. Yomi Kasai
- Dr.BayoAdaralegbe; and
- Dr.SaminuDagari.
- It would be very difficult to find a group of more selfless personsthan these individuals. It is acutely hurtful that I am leaving before achieving our goal of sanitizing the University of Lagos, and turning it to a reference point in Africa and the world, rather than the unenviable poor position it now occupies. Unfortunately, I must stand by principle. In a situation where my employers believe that the actions I took may not be right, the appropriate thing to do is bow out in honour.
Sir, may the Almighty Allah continue to bless you.
Yours faithfully