Suspended UNILAG Student Activist Asks Visiting Panel To Order Reinstatement

Femi Adeyeye, a student of the University of Lagos, who is currently on indefinite suspension, has appealed to the visiting panel constituted by the Nigerian Government to order his reinstatement to the university.

Adeyeye, who was rusticated for three semesters in July 2016, was to resume in the second semester of the 2017/2018 academic session but the school is yet to lift the rustication and activate his student portal.

He noted that other students, who were rusticated together with him have been reinstated and have all graduated from the institution.

In a letter to the panel by his legal counsel, Omobolanle Ojibara, he said he had written series of letters to the university but they were all ignored.

The lawyer wrote, “After serving out his suspension, our client wrote a letter on 11 June 2018 (which was erroneously dated II June 2017) to the university seeking his reinstatement.

“The university responded to our client via its letter dated 20 September 2018, informing our client that he has been cleared for readmission, with effect from 2nd semester of the 2017/2018 session. This letter was only received 3 days to the end of the 2017/2018 academic session and after examinations had been concluded for the 2nd semester.

“It only became obvious to our client that the timing of the letter was not out of sheer inadvertence, but a design to frustrate the resumption of his studies, when he tried to register for the semester and discovered that he had been locked out of the online registration portal and his deactivated. Our client has since then written several letters pleading with the university to allow him to register and finish his studies, and his pleas have fallen on deaf ears. A bundle of the letters written by our client dated 29 August 2019, 1 September 2016, 6 March 2017 and 14 March 2019.”

The student activist stated that his indefinite rustication was on the directive of the removed Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, who vowed that he would not reinstate Adeyeye.

“Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe who had become the Vice Chancellor of the university at this time, refused to readmit our client and even boasted on a video, which surfaced on YouTube and other online platforms that our client not readmitted because "he was not remorseful".

“It is apparent from this utterance, that Prof Ogundipe's action is a personal vendetta against our client, the result of which is our client's unlawful expulsion from the university without fair hearing.

“It also important to reiterate that the panel, which heard our client never recommended his expulsion, so the act of expulsion was done without fair hearing by Prof Ogundipe and the university administration under him,” the lawyer added.

It was also stated that the continued denial of his studentship violates his constitutionally guaranteed rights to fair hearing and freedom from discrimination.

“We, therefore, urge you to use your visit to the university to right the wrongs visited on our client by Prof Ogundipe's administration and restore our client's faith and hope in a just society, where everyone is treated as equals,” the lawyer appealed.

Recall that the Nigerian Government had inaugurated the Special Visitation Panel to look into the crisis rocking the University of Lagos following the removal of Ogundipe and the suspension of the Chairman of the University’s Governing Council, Dr Wale Babalakin.

Education News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

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