‘Your jobs are safe,” Ogundipe assures UNILAG lecturers who wanted him gone

University of Lagos (UNILAG) Vice Chancellor Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe has promised not to fire school employee who worked against him.

Ogundipe was reinstated by President Muhammdu Buhari after being sacked on the allegations of corruption which he denied.

The UNILAG VC, who is backed by the school’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), said he was not planning to punish members of staff who worked against him and tried to profit from his ordeal.

“Our commitment must be in moving this university forward and we must unite,” Ogundipe said after resuming on Thursday.

“Some people are saying that I have a list of people I want to sack and punish. I have no such list. I do not have any list of anyone to be sacked. I have not seen any list.

“Let’s work together and move the university forward.

“You have invested years of your lives into this university. It is not about academic or non-academic staff, it is about moving the university forward.”

Ogundipe also thanked President Buhari and said that his reinstatement was God’s doing.

“My return to office is not by power but by divine intervention,” the UNILAG VC said.

Ogundipe’s reinstatement means the tenure of Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, who was elected UNILAG’s first female VC following Ogundipe’s absence, came to an abrupt end before it really began.

But Ogundipe said the development would not divide the UNILAG community.

“People think they can divide us, let me say this openly, they don’t know we communicate,” Ogundipe said.

“She has done excellently well and she is reliable.”

While handling over to Ogundipe, Ogunsola said:

“We welcome back the VC. I am formally handling over to the VC.

“Today is the day of victory, it calls for introspection.

“Together we stand, divided we fall. Nobody can de-brand us and UNILAG is bigger than anybody.”