UI Senate to Decide VC’s Fate today

The University of Ibadan Senate will meet today to deliberate if the tenure of the current Vice chancellor (VC) of the University; Professor Babatunde Ekanola whose six-month tenure as acting VC expires on May 31, should be extended or terminated.



Recall that Prof Ekanola was appointed as VC for a six month-tenure, following a protracted crisis between the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Professor Idowu Olayinka, the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) over the emergence of the next Vice-Chancellor of the University.



The U.I Director of Public Communications; Mr. Olatunji Oladejo confirmed today’s meeting adding that; “The Senate of the University is the highest decision-making body on academic activities in the university and that it can regulate its own activities in its own way.”



The crisis, along with several directives from Federal Government agencies and the Governing Council of the university, had stalled the process of electing the next Vice-Chancellor from a pool of 18 candidates.



Prof Ekanola who is also the Chairman of the University Senate is expected to recuse himself from the meeting as he cannot be involved in the deliberations due to a conflict of interest.
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The Senate deliberations will also involve the current acting bursar; Abimbola Akanbi, as a decision has to be reached whether to extend his tenure as well, or terminate it.



At the end of the meeting, the Senate’s resolution is to be passed to the newly inaugurated governing council of the university, led by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun for ratification.