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ASUU Condemns Ogundipe’s ‘Removal’ As UNILAG Council Names Acting VC
Hours after saying it has removed Oluwatoyin Ogundipe as the vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos, the school’s council said it has appointed Theophilus Soyombo in acting capacity.
Crisis brewed on Wednesday when the council resolved at its emergency meeting held in Abuja to sack Mr Ogundipe over allegations of infractions and gross misconduct.
Mr Ogundipe fired back, saying his “purported removal” was a “mischievous disinformation” as “the extant provisions of the law have not been complied with” by the council.
It appears the action of the governing council, however, does not have the backing of the law stablishing the university. The law vests the power to remove a vice-chancellor on the Nigerian president.
By the provision, the president of the country can remove the vice-chancellor “after due consultation with the Council and the Senate acting through the Minister of Education.” But a publicist of the ministry said “the ministry is yet to be briefed.”
Asked the provision it followed to remove the VC, a member of the council who does not want to be named because he was not cleared to speak with the press on the matter, cited section 18 of the university law.
But checks by this newspaper on the said section talks about how the deputy vice-chancellor can be removed, not the vice-chancellor.
But the council in a statement Thursday maintained it acted lawfully and its decision to remove Mr Ogundipe stands, announcing Theophilus Soyombo as the interim head.
“I also wish to use the opportunity to inform members of the public that Council at the said meeting duly appointed Professor of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos as Vice Chancellor of the University in an Acting Capacity,” the university’s registrar and council secretary, Oladejo Azeez, said in a release.
“Members of the public are hereby advised to totally disregard the statement attributed to the said former Vice Chancellor. The position remains that he was lawfully removed by the Governing Council at a meeting fully attended by all Council members,” he added.
The newly appointed acting vice-chancellor, Omololu Soyombo, graduated from the University of Lagos with a B.Sc in Sociology in 1977. Thereafter, he bagged his masters degree in Sociology from the University of Essex, England.
Now a professor of sociology, he teaches the course at the University of Lagos sociology department, where he specializes in, among other areas, the sociology of deviant behaviour in youths.
A member of the Nigerian Anthropological and Sociological Association and member Integrated Transport Initiative, Mr Soyombo is a former managing director of the University of Lagos Consult and former Dean faculty of Social Sciences.
Meanwhile, the UNILAG chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities has rejected the Mr Soyombo’s appointment, condemning the purported sack of of Mr Ogundipe.
The union’s chairman, Dele Ashiru, insisted Mr Ogundipe remained the union’s recognised head, accusing Mr Babalakin of having vested interest.
“His removal is illegal and uncalled for. Our union condemns in the strongest term the purported removal. It is the machination of the pro-chancellor to destabilise this university and our union has been on the forefront of the agitation against a reckless and lawless pro-chancellor,” Mr Ashiru said.
“We reaffirm our confidence in the leadership of Professor Toyin Ogundipe as Vice Chancellor of the university,” the union’s chairman stressed.
According to the amended universities miscellaneous act of 2003, an an acting “vice-chancellor in all circumstances shall not be in office for more than 6 months.”
Premium Times
United States Representative Riley Moors has said further military strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria could follow recent operations ordered by President Donald Trump, describing the actions as aimed at improving security and protecting Christian communities facing violence.
Moore made the remarks during a televised interview in which he addressed U.S. military strikes carried out on Christmas Day against militant targets in North-west Nigeria.
The strikes were conducted in coordination with the Nigerian government, according to U.S. and Nigerian officials.
“President Trump is not trying to bring war to Nigeria, he’s bringing peace and security to Nigeria and to the thousands of Christians who face horrific violence and death,” Moore said.
He said the Christmas Day strikes against Islamic State affiliates had provided hope to Christians in Nigeria, particularly in areas affected by repeated attacks during past festive periods.
According to U.S. authorities, the strikes targeted camps used by Islamic State-linked groups operating in parts of north-west Nigeria.
Nigerian officials confirmed that the operation was carried out with intelligence support from Nigerian security agencies as part of ongoing counter-terrorism cooperation between both countries.
The United States Africa Command said the operation was intended to degrade the operational capacity of extremist groups responsible for attacks on civilians and security forces.
Nigerian authorities have described the targeted groups as a threat to national security, noting their involvement in killings, kidnappings and raids on rural communities.
Moore said the strikes marked a shift from previous years in which attacks were carried out against civilians during the Christmas period. He said the U.S. administration was focused on preventing further violence by targeting militant groups before they could launch attacks.
U.S. officials have said the military action was carried out with the consent of the Nigerian government and formed part of broader security cooperation between the two countries. Nigeria has received intelligence, training and logistical support from international partners as it seeks to contain militant activity.
Moore had previously called for stronger international attention to attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria and has urged continued U.S. engagement in addressing extremist violence. He said further action would depend on developments on the ground and continued coordination with Nigerian authorities.
Nigerian officials have maintained that counter-terrorism operations are directed at armed groups threatening civilians, regardless of religion, and have reiterated their commitment to restoring security across affected regions.
World-renowned boxer Anthony Joshua on Monday survived a ghastly road accident in Makun, Ogun State.
Eyewitnesses report that the incident occurred along a busy highway of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
The vehicle carrying Joshua, a Lexus Jeep with the number plate, KRD 850 HN, reportedly collided with a stationary truck under circumstances that are still being investigated.
Joshua reportedly sustained minor injuries, while two persons were said to have died on the spot.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has cautioned that any attempt to hurriedly re‑gazette Nigeria’s new tax laws could undermine parliamentary oversight and set a dangerous constitutional precedent.
Atiku’s warning follows public scrutiny over reports that the Tax Reform Acts signed by President Bola Tinubu differ from the versions passed by the National Assembly. Lawmakers, including Abdussamad Dasuki, raised concerns that the alterations could pose serious legal and constitutional risks, noting that they were not backed by any constitutional framework.
In a statement on X, Atiku said the directive to re-gazette the Acts effectively confirms “that the gazetted version of the Tinubu Tax Act does not reflect what was duly passed by the National Assembly,” calling it “a grave constitutional issue.”
He emphasized that under Section 58 of the 1999 Constitution, a bill only becomes law after passage by both chambers, presidential assent, and gazetting.
“Gazetting is merely an administrative act of publication. It does not create, amend, or validate a law,” Atiku said, adding that any post-passage insertion, deletion, or modification without legislative approval constitutes forgery rather than a clerical error.
Atiku further warned that rushing a re-gazetting while legislative investigations are ongoing “undermines parliamentary oversight and sets a dangerous precedent,” stressing that the only lawful approach is “fresh legislative consideration, re-passage by both chambers, fresh presidential assent, and proper gazetting.”
The former vice president clarified that his position is not opposition to tax reform but a defence of constitutional order.
“This is a defence of the integrity of the legislative process and a rejection of any attempt to normalise constitutional breaches through procedural shortcuts,” he said.
The Federal government has denied wrongdoing, insisting the laws will take effect as scheduled on January 1, 2026, while the National Assembly has directed the issuance of Certified True Copies of the Acts to ensure clarity and accuracy.
