Nine out of 14 professors have been shortlisted to contest for the prestigious post of Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU).
A competent source at the University Registrar’s office, who pleaded anonymity, made the disclosure on Friday in Lagos.
The source said that 14 professors had applied for the position within the six weeks of the advertisement.
“Nine were shortlisted after several considerations of their qualifications and pre-requisites for absorption,’’ the source said.
He noted that among the five candidates who were not shortlisted was the immediate-past Vice-Chancellor, Prof. John Obafunwa, whose tenure ended on Oct. 31.
According to the source, the candidates who were not shortlisted do not possess a PhD degree, while others had not spent up to 10 years as professors.
“Although the advertisement had outlined that the professorship of the candidates must have lasted seven years, it was extended to 10 years during the screening as it applies in federal universities,’’ it added.
The source said that while six of the shortlisted professors were from LASU, the other three were from outside the institution.
It named the shortlisted professors as Abolade Adeniji, Dean, Faculty of Arts; Senna Bakre, former deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic); Olatunji Bello, Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM).
Others are Profs Nurudeen Olasupo, Department of Microbiology; Hamidu Sanni, Islamic Studies Department and Babajide Elemo, Science Faculty.
The professors from outside LASU are a professor from Texas, U.S., simply identified as Oki, S.A. Tella, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun, and Lanre Fagbohun, a former LASU staff now in the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
The source also said that the interview for the shortlisted candidates had been scheduled to hold on December 7 at LASUCOM, Ikeja.
The post of the Vice-Chancellor of LASU is vacant following the expiry of the tenure of the former VC, Obafunwa on October 31.
The Lagos State Government on November 7, appointed Prof. Fidelis Njokanma, (DVC, Administration) as the Acting VC of the institution through the university’s Governing Council led by Professor Adebayo Ninalowo.
NAN reports that Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Nov. 17, sent the LASU 2015 Amendment Bill to the state House of Assembly for ratification.
It has the proposed single term of five years for the institution’s vice-chancellor.
NUC accredits LASU’s 11 academic programmes
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has accredited 11 of the 20 postgraduate and undergraduate academic programmes of Lagos State University (LASU).
According to the institution’s official bulletin released on Wednesday in Lagos, NUC carried out the exercise in October 2014 and June 2015.
It said the result of the accreditation was conveyed to the university by NUC.
The bulletin said that the Commission had granted Law, Accounting, Banking and Finance, Theatre Arts, Music, Physiology, Physical and Health Education full accreditation.
Terminal and academic Masters in Business Administration, Human Resources and Personnel Management and Public Administration were also accredited, while Masters in Public Administration was not accredited.
It added that at the undergraduate level, Business Administration, English, French, Philosophy and Yoruba were denied accreditation.
The bulletin also stated that Insurance, Electronics, Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering were placed at interim.
The commission also fixed the maturity for the review of the courses at 2017 and 2020, the bulletin further stated.
-NAN