Chairman of Bi-Courtney Limited, Wale Babalakin, SAN, on Thursday resigned his position as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Lagos, UNILAG.
His resignation came few hours after the Special Visitation Panel set up by the Federal Government to look into the affairs of the university submitted its report to the Education Minister, Malam Adamu Adamu, in Abuja.
Babalakin’s spokesman, Mikail Mumini, confirmed the development to the press, saying his boss actually submitted the letter to the education minister in Abuja, today.
Fedredsnews also learnt that the former pro-chancellor has also resigned his position as the chairman of the negotiation committee on the federal government and universities’ workers’ unions.
Fedredsnews gathered that Babalakin’s resignation from the council was a preemptive move to spare himself the embarrassment of being sacked from the council.
The crisis rocking the university reached the peak when on August 12 at an emergency meeting held at the National Universities Commission (NUC), in Abuja, the Babalakin-led governing council announced the removal of the institution’s substantive vice-chancellor, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.
In reaction, the president announced the composition of a seven-member visitation panel led by a former vice-chancellor of Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Niger State, Tukur Sa’ad.
The panel also has Victor Onuoha, Ikenna Onyido, Ekanem Braide, Adamu Usman, Jimoh Bankole, and Grace Ekanem as secretary.
Mr Onuoha, a lawyer, retired in 2019 as a deputy executive secretary in charge of administration at the National Universities Commission (NUC). He also holds Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from UNILAG, while Mr Onyido is a professor of Chemistry and was between 2006 and 2011, the vice-chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Abia State.
The panel, which was given two weeks to complete its task, sought a week extension and finally submitted its report, on Thursday.
Dr Babalakin have towed the path of honour and dignity. I have more respect and regards for him now than before with his revelation that he had deliberately refuse to collect any allowance from all his past position and services to Federal Republic of Nigeria, only very few men of honour can do this. Unfortunately, he’s now serving under an administration that do not have regards for honour. How do you explain how the accuser should be turned to the accused in a sane country and made to face a panel full of shenanigans? This in my own opinion have scored this clueless administration very low in her fight against corruption. It’s a pointer that other Pro- Chancellor in Federal institutions should look away when their VC loots the University Treasury. The PMB led Government abandoned the substance and went after the messenger. This is very sad, we are already in a one chance vehicle, only God can deliver us safely.