13th May, 2015
Kazeem Ugbodaga
The authorities of the troubled Lagos State University, LASU, have resolved that the institution should be re-opened on Monday for academic activities.
LASU had been shut for over a month following crisis between management and the unions in the institution.
The decision to reopen the school for academic activities was arrived at after the Consultative meeting of representatives of the Governing Council, University Management and executives of the students union on Tuesday at the main Auditorium of the Lagos State University College of Medicine, LASUCOM, Ikeja, Lagos, southwest Nigeria.
A communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the various parties involved, including the Vice Chancellor of the school, Prof. John Obafunwa, agreed that the school should be reopened on Monday.
“Consequently, on the observations reached, the meeting resolved that the school should be reopened for academic activities not later than Monday, 18 May, 2015 and that provision of adequate security on campus should be made by the Lagos State Government on resumption of academic activities.
“The meeting resolved that continual dialogue between the management and staff unions under the auspices of the Governing Council should hold.
“The meeting also resolved that expeditious action on the processing of school fees refund by the Lagos State Government should follow,” the communiqué said.
The meeting further resolved that there should be a proclamation of confidence in the leadership of Obafunwa as Vice Chancellor of the school by the students and unions.
The meeting called on the state government to ensure commitment to the resumption of academic activities at LASU without further delay, including security on campus.
Earlier, the students had dissociated themselves from ‘Obafunwa-must-go’ campaign and pledged to work with the management of the school to move it forward.
LASU had been torn apart by crisis in the last one year, with lecturers and unions in the school battling it out with Obafunwa as they disagreed with his policy and method of running the institution.
Though the unions called for his removal, the Lagos State Government disagreed with the lecturers and unions, saying it could not sack Obafunwa simply because some people wanted him to leave office.