Nigerian-American plans to sue FG over UNILAG convocation

Displeased with the circumstances surrounding the postponement of the 51st Convocation ceremony of the University of Lagos, a Nigerian estate mogul in the United States of America, Toyin Dawodu, has scrambled a process to sue the Federal Government.

He is particularly disappointed at what he described as the “loud silence of the Nigerian public to this unjust decision by the Federal Ministry of Education to unnecessarily and carelessly postpone the convocation of persons who have graduated from a university since 2019 is reprehensible.”

He adds, “Nigerians must increase their concerns about the well-being of their fellow citizens and constantly demand for justice, fair treatment and the general application of the benefits of good governance to all, irrespective of personal interests, ethnicity, tribe or religion.”

Dawodu urged the Minister of Education to urgently rescind the postponement of the planned convocation or face legal consequences..

“I have instructed my lawyers in Nigeria, specifically, Frank Tietie, Esq. of Forthright Chambers, Abuja to convey my displeasure in a formal legal letter to the Honourable Minister of Education and to urge him to immediately rescind the postponement of the planned convocation of the University of Lagos.

“The Honourable Minister and the UNILAG authorities must strongly consider the legal consequences of the legal proceedings in the public interest that I intend to initiate immediately, following the failure to rescind the decision to postpone the convocation,” he said.

Recall that the hope of some 13,489 fresh graduates of the University of Lagos, Akoka, who had been scheduled to receive their certificates next week may have been dashed as the university management has called off its 2020 convocation ceremonies.

It was learnt that the ceremonies, which had earlier been scheduled to hold between March 9 and 12, has been suspended over a supremacy battle between the university management and the chairman of the institution’s governing council, Wale Babalakin.

The university’s vice-chancellor, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, had on Monday, addressed a press briefing ahead of the ceremonies, giving details of the activities lined up, including a convocation lecture to be delivered by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.

▪︎ Additional report by Premium Times