Ikorodu Youths Clamour For Indigenous Lagosian As Next LASU VC -

Wale Jagun

Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State and Mr Tokunbo Wahab, Special Adviser on Education, Lagos.

The umbrella body of all Voluntary Youth Organisations and Community Based Organisations (CBOs) in Ikorodu, and the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Ikorodu Division chapter, has called on the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo – Olu, to appoint a true indigene of Lagos for the much – coveted position of Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU).

THE IMPACT gathered that three Professors have been shortlisted for the position by the screening panel and the Governor, who is also the Moderator of the institution, is expected to pick one out of them.

It was also gathered that the outgoing VC, Prof. Lanre Adigun Fagbohun, a Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is expected to complete his tenure mid – January.

The youths in lkorodu made the appeal in a release titled, “NYCN Forum of Coordinators in Ikorodu Division agitates for Lagosians To be next LASU VC”, and signed by Comrade Omotayo Odusanya, Chairman, Coordinators’ Forum, Ikorodu Division & Coordinator of Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, Comrade Asoro Abubakar Olatunji, Secretary, Coordinators’ Forum, Ikorodu Division & Coordinator of Ikorodu West LCDA, Comrade Idris Bello, Secretary, Lagos East Coordinators’ Forum & Coordinator of Ikorodu Ijede LCDA.

Others that signed the release are: Comrade Folarin Adegboyega Awal, PRO, Forum of Local Branches Coordinators, NYCN, Lagos State Chapter & Coordinator, Imota LCDA, Comrade Omotayo Idris, Coordinator, Ikorodu Local Branch and Comrade Ganiu Nurudeen, Coordinator, Ikorodu North LCDA.

The release is reproduced below:

NYCN FORUM OF COORDINATORS IN IKORODU DIVISION AGITATES FOR LAGOSIAN TO BE NEXT LASU VC

The National Youth Council of Nigeria, Ikorodu Division Chapter which serves as the umbrella body for all the Voluntary Youth Organizations (VYOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in the division, calls on the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, to consider the nomination of a true Lagosian in his appointment of the next substantive Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, Ojo.

The agitation for the next substantive Vice-Chancellor of the prestigious state-owned institution which began following the expiration of the tenure of the current vice-chancellor of the university, Lanre Adigun Fagbohun, a Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who assumed office as the 8th substantive Vice-Chancellor of the university on January 11, 2016, will complete his five-year single term of office on January 11, 2021.

The search for who to become the 9th substantive Vice-Chancellor of the great citadel of learning and take over the baton of leadership from Professor Fagbohun, is already ongoing and whoever emerges as the favoured candidate will be expected to further raised the bar of the current status of the university as the second best state owned university in Nigeria and second best in the country, to be the overall best University in Nigeria and Africa at large.

Following the screening and shortlisting of the applications of all the applicants before the University Joint Council and Senate Selection Committee, which is statutory chaired by the Chairman of the Governing Council, Professor Adebayo Ninalowo, from nine Professors to best top three, the Governor, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, is now expected to appoint one from the remaining three candidates as the new Vice Chancellor of LASU.

It was gathered that the race for the seat of the Vice-Chancellor, for the first time in history, presented three shortlisted candidates who are renowned professors and medical scientists.

To measure their global research efforts and contributions, Professor Akinyemi Kabir has a google scholar Citations of 1,920 and h-index of 18, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji Bello has a google scholar Citations of 298 and h-index 11 while Professor Olumuyiwa Odusanya has a google scholar Citations of 1,811 and h-index of 21.

From careful assessments, it is glaring that Professor Akinyemi Kabir is the material person suitable to wear the cap which will be honourably handed over by Professor Lanre Adigun Fagbohun in the next couple of weeks.

In assessing the profile of Professor Akinyemi Kabir, he is a true indigene of Ikorodu Division of Lagos State without any controversy.

He is an erudite scholar with a PhD and has vast experience being the former Dean of Students Affairs and former ASUU-LASU Chairman in Lagos State University. He is a fellow of many international organizations. He won the Bill and Melinda Gate Award and many other academic scholarship for the institution.

Recently, he won grants for equipment worth millions of naira for LASU among other laudable achievements. It is no doubt that all these criteria were used as prerequisites to score all the applicants up to the present stage of the selection process. This, however, gave Professor Akinyemi Kabir a high advantage over others and further boost his chances with more points and put him in good stead to become the substantive Vice-chancellor of the university.

Professor Akinyemi is a renowned scholar in the field of medical microbiology, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health (FRSPH), United Kingdom, and Fellow of the highly rated Alexander von Humboldt (FAvH). He is the current Director of Linkages, Partnerships and Collaboration, LASU. He is the first Alumnus of the university who started his academic career from undergraduate level till the level he attained his professorship. No doubt, Professor Akinyemi is a true product of the institution and a prominent member of the Alumni Association. He has served at the top management level of the university as a former member of the Governing Council of LASU.

Professor Akinyemi is currently the Chairman, Lagos State Indigene Verification Committee (IVC), LASU.

The other two candidates who have also been tipped for the position include Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello who joined the service of LASU in 2007 as a Professor of Physiology in the citadel’s College of Medicine. She rose to become Deputy Vice Chancellor and was later appointed the VC in acting capacity by the then Visitor, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola.

A graduate of the University of Ibadan, Olatunji-Bello, thereafter, lost the bid to become the substantive VC following the appointment of Professor Dapo Obafunwa.

Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji Bello is a fellow of the Nigeria Society of Physiology and currently Director of Lagos State University Directorate of Advancement (LASUDA). She is the wife of the current Lagos State Commissioner of Environment and Water Resource, Tunji Bello.

The third, Professor Olumuyiwa Odusanya is a Professor of Public and Community Health and the current Director of Research, LASU.

Professor Odusanya is another favorite for the job and insiders said that he also stands a good chance of getting the nod of the Governor.

He possesses a Fellowship certificate of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. He worked diligently in ensuring the success of last two research fairs organized in 2019 and 2020 by the current administration of the outgoing VC, Professor Lanre Adigun Fagbohun, PhD, SAN, NPOM.

While these three are renowned professors in their fields and are also favorites for the job having passed through the screening supervised by the Joint Council and Senate Selection Committee, the National Youth Council of Nigeria in Ikorodu Division (Ikorodu West, Ikorodu Central, Imota, Ikorodu North, Igbogbo/Bayeku, and Ijede LCDA) as a group of development crusaders and supporters of progressive change in our enviable institutions in Lagos State, Lagos State University, Ojo, in particular, strongly seek the indulgence to appeal to the Governor of Lagos State to approve the appointment of a true Lagosian amongst the trio for the top job.

There is no gain saying that LASU needs a vibrant and hardworking international scholar to sustain its glory, capability and capacity to intensify the momentum gathered in the last half of a decade.