By Cyber Era Staff
The University of Lagos(UNILAG) Akoka, Lagos, south west Nigeria, has announced the suspension of its 51st Convocation ceremonies, which had earlier been scheduled to hold between March 9 and 12, 2020. This development is as a result of a supremacy battle between the university management and the chairman of the institution’s governing council, Wale Babalakin.
The university’s vice-chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, had on Monday, addressed a world press conference ahead of the ceremonies, providing details of the activities lined up, including a convocation lecture to be delivered by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Ali Isa Ibrahim Pantami, as this medium earlier reported. Pantami was to speak on the title: “The Role of Disruptive Technologies In Sustainable Economic Transformation”.
Cyber Era learnt that Babalakin petitioned the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, averring the scheduled convocation ceremony was not approved by his Council, and urged the Minister to put the process on hold.
The minister in turn, through the ministry’s permanent secretary, Sunny Echonu, wrote to the National Universities Commission (NUC), as the regulatory agency, to inform the University of its Suspension Order.
The university received a memo from the NUC on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the press briefing, confirming the decision of the Minister.
UNILAG’s Public Relations Officer, Taiwo Oloyede, while confirming the incident said the institution would soon communicate the development to the appropriate quarters .
