The Alumni Association of the Lagos State University (LASU) has issued a statement disowning a group claiming to be alumni of the institution, and calling for cancellation of the just completed process of selecting its ninth Vice Chancellor.
The said group, in a open letter written by their solicitors, Yakubu Eleto and Chambers, to the institution’s Visitor, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, also gave the Governor seven days to comply, else face legal action.
However, reacting in a press statement jointly signed by the President, Major General Cecil Esekhaigbe (rtd), and Chairman of its Board of Trustees, Teju Sonoiki, the Alumni Association urged the Governor to disregard the letter, and expressed “confidence in the process carried out so far in the selection of the next Vice Chancellor for our great University”.
Below is the full text of the press statement:
[11:53, 30/12/2020] Biodun Durojaiye: The Lagos State University Alumni Association is an umbrella body of all alumnae of the great Lagos State University and the Association has remained a major stakeholder in the development and management of the University.The Association is a body of members who have continuously engaged with the University administration under different leadership at different times on progress of the University.
The Almuni Association has at no time or in any way imaginable dabbled into the way and manner the management structure and architecture of the University is constituted, but has always being on stand by as a partner in progress giving support to each administration where necessary and when needed.
It is therefore a rude shock and deep surpris…
[12:10, 30/12/2020] Biodun Durojaiye: Updated Edited version
The Lagos State University Alumni Association is an umbrella body of all alumni and alumnae of the great Lagos State University and the Association has remained a major stakeholder in the development and management of the University.
The Association is a body of members who have continuously engaged with the University administration under different leadership at different times on the progress of the University.
The Almuni Association has at no time or in any way imaginable dabbled into the way and manner the management structure and architecture of the University is constituted, but has always been on stand by as a partner in progress giving support to each administration where necessary and when needed.
It is therefore a rude shock and deep surprise to see a letter written on behalf of purported members of the Alumni Association to the Visitor to the University by a legal practitioner, Yakubu Eleto esq of Yakubu Eleto Chambers threatening the Visitor in respect of the ongoing selection process of a new Vice Chancellor for the University.
The said letter even included a portion in which the outgoing Vice Chancellor was vilified. It is, however, the prerogative of the learned Vice Chancellor to take this up or not.
This rejoinder is therefore to put it on record that:
- Our Association has a representative on the Governing Council of the University and we have explicit confidence in the capacity of our representative such that if we were to have any issue worth the attention of the Council or the University management, our representative will be the natural conveyor on behalf of the Association.
- We have gone through the membership list of our Association and not surprisingly, the names of the purported members being represented by the learned gentleman and his law offices are not on any of the registers either at the branch or national levels of the Association.
- It has become pertinent to therefore deny in absolute terms, knowledge of the Association with respect to all the issues raised in the said letter which bothers much on the selection process and the qualifications of the aspirants to the office of the Vice Chancellor of our great University.
We are not unaware of the efforts of the various stakeholders of the University in ensuring that a fit and proper person is appointed to the office of the Vice Chancellor especially having witnessed progressive development in the University in the last five years. We however state unequivocally that the Association is very much comfortable with the selection committee whom we are aware has done its job and made its recommendations and we as a body of members of the Alumni Association look forward to working assiduously with the person who will be selected to steer the affairs of the University for the next five years.
It must be stated that we are very much aware of the position of some elements within the University community who would rather stall and possibly reverse the giant strides already taken to move the University forward. We have however steered clear of the processes leading to the selection of the next Vice Chancellor in spite of the fact that a great Alumnus of the University and an active member of the Association is also in the race.
We took this position to ensure that sentiments and unnecessary emotions are not applied in giving the University the best it deserves at this point of its existence.
On behalf of all the bonafide members of our great Association, we hereby denounce the content of the letter under reference and in fact state that those names listed as being represented are not Financial neither are they bonafide members of our Association.
On this note therefore we further state our implicit confidence in the process carried out so far in the selection of the next Vice Chancellor for our great University and therefore encourage His Excellency Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to please disregard the said letter and concentrate on ensuring that our University is given the best of those selected.
We therefore extend the courtesy of our highest esteem to Your Excellency.
Mr. Teju Sonoiki
Chairman, Board of Trustees
Maj. Gen. Cecil Esekhaigbe (rtd)
National President
