Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Tuesday inaugurated the governing councils of state-owned tertiary institutions with a pledge to reposition the schools for academic excellence in line with the vision of the founding fathers.
The affected institutions are Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED), and the Lagos State College of Health Technology.
Ambode charged members of the governing councils of the schools to work in tandem with his administration to ensure that the lost glory of the schools was restored.
LASU, in particular, in the last couple of years has become a “citadel of unending crisis” and synonymous with strikes, cult-related activities and closures, as lecturers and the vice chancellor, on one hand, and students, management and lecturers on the other hand, continue to engage one another.
The governor at the inauguration at Lagos House, Ikeja, said it was the belief of his administration that tertiary institutions were critical in achieving economic prosperity, and this prompted the careful selection of diverse professionals from the academia, public and private sectors with proven track record, to manage the affairs of the institutions.
Among those inaugurated include are George Adesola Oguntade, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, as chancellor of LASU; Adebayo Ninalowo, a professor of Sociology, as pro-chancellor and chairman, governing council of LASU; Tajudeen Gbadamosi, a professor of History as chairman, governing council of LASPOTECH; Sekinat Yussuf, as chairman, governing council of MOCPED; Tunde Samuel, as chairman, governing council of AOCOED, and Tilley Giyado, as chairman, College of Health Technology.
“With this group of sagacious minds, there is no disputing the resolve of the state government to consciously build a new foundation for our tertiary institutions. The quality of leadership of the governing councils inspires confidence that the potentials of the institutions and their ability to rise up to the challenge of development will be unleashed,” Ambode said.
