The Federal Ministry of Education has denied indictment of Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, vice-chancellor, and management during the Presidential Visitation Panel to the University of Lagos, as published in some national newspapers, not BusinessDay.
In a statement signed by Ben.Bem Goong, director, Press and Public Relations, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education stated in categorical terms that these claims are false, unfounded, and to say the least, mischievous, as they have no bearing with the report submitted by the Panel, which was chaired by a reputable Four-Star General, Martin Luther Agwai (Rtd), one of the finest officers of the Nigerian Army.
The statement reads: “The attention of the Federal Ministry of Education has been drawn to several syndicated publications in some National Newspapers, not Business Day, insinuating among other things that the Presidential Visitation Panel to the University of Lagos indicted the vice-chancellor, Ogundipe and the Management of that University.”
The stories also posited that the report exonerated the former chairman of Council, Olawale Babalakin.
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“It will be recalled that the 7-Man Presidential Visitation Panel to the University of Lagos submitted its report along with others to the Hon. Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu on 31st August 2021 and not 7th of September, 2021 as claimed in the publications.”
According to the ministry, Government is in the process of setting up White Paper Committees to address all the findings and recommendations of the Panels, including that of Unilag in a holistic manner.
“Government had earlier issued a White Paper on the report of the 2020 Special Presidential Visitation Panel to the University of Lagos which culminated in the dissolution of the former Governing Council and the reinstatement of the vice-chancellor.
“Stakeholders and the general public are therefore advised to ignore in totality, these false, malicious and self-serving publications as well as their orchestration on Social and Electronic Media while we await the former release of the Government White Paper on the Panel’s reports.”
