The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), both of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, branch, have said they would support and cooperate with Professor Folasade Ogunsola, who was appointed on Monday as the new acting Vice-Chancellor for the university.
Professor Ogunsola, 62, who until her new role, is deputy vice-chancellor of the university in charge of development services and the first female to be appointed to the office in the history of UNILAG, was elected by the university’s senate at its emergency meeting on Monday. She polled 135 votes to defeat her rival, Professor Ben Ughojafor, another incumbent deputy vice-chancellor, who had 31 votes. One vote was declared invalid in the election, which is strictly for all lecturers in professorial cadre in the university as well the university’s librarian.
In their immediate separate reactions, both ASUU and NASU, congratulated Professor Ogunsola and the entire UNILAG community on the development, saying it would not only restore peace but would also lead to the stability of UNILAG.
They said what they were expecting now is for the new acting vice-chancellor to bring together all the warring factions in the university to the same page so as to jointly move the university to appreciable heights.
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ASUU chairman of the branch, Dr Dele Ashiru, in an exclusive interview with Tribune Online, commended the Senate for standing for what he termed truth and also for giving the university a new vice-chancellor in a hitch-free electoral process.
He said members of the university community, especially ASUU, is now awaiting the arrival of the presidential visitation panel and its outcome on the lingering issues rocking the university.
On his part, NASU chairman, Mr Kehinde Ajibade, said all that NASU would want the new vice-chancellor to do is to administer fairly and also make good welfare of NASU members a priority.
The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) on its part, said it had no comment for now on the development.
The chairman of the group, Mr Olusola Sowunmi, told our correspondent that he was in a meeting over the news at the time of filling in the report.
Ogunsola is a Professor of Clinical Microbiology and the first female provost of the university’s College of Medicine, Idi-Araba. She is a member of the governing council of the university.
She is the council’s member, who was asked to leave the venue alongside Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe when the governing council was about voting for the removal of the latter in Abuja two weeks ago.
According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Ogunsola’s research areas have been centred on the regulation and management of viral diseases, particularly HIV.
She is also the principal investigator at AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (APIN) at UNILAG and she has equally been the chairman of Infection Control Committee of Lagos University Teaching Hospital.
Professor Ogunsola is expected to act pending the outcome of the presidential visitation panel to the university and the subsequent decision of the visitor to the university.
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