Chairman of the Nigerian Government Visitation Panel on the University of Lagos, Prof Hamman Tukur Saad, has expressed regret for signing the report of the panel.
In a letter on Tuesday to Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, Saad said that he didn’t want to sign the report of the panel at first but went ahead to do so fearing the backlash it would generate in the public space.
The letter reads partly, “As Chairman, I didn’t want to sign the final report but I felt that would be a slap on the face of the government and it would generate so much bad publicity in the public domain, that I would rather sign on the understanding that the matter would be referred to the Shehu of Borno as the Chancellor.
“Final recommendation of the panel was that the matter should be referred back to the Chancellor, irrespective of what the panel recommended.
“As it stands now, I feel I was made a fool of and stabbed on the back by people I trusted.
“Furthermore, it will be impossible for any council to manage a university in this country if the recommendations of the panel are implemented in a Whitepaper.
“A Whitepaper based on the report submitted by the panel and neglecting the final recommendation of referring will raise many questions.”
Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe was on Wednesday reinstated as Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos by President Buhari.
Ogundipe was suspended in August by the Governing Council of the university during a meeting in Abuja.
The council headed by Dr Wale Babalakin at the time had accused Ogundipe of financial misappropriation among other acts of office abuse.
The Governing Council of the university was also on Tuesday dissolved by the President.
