VC Appointment: Sanwo-Olu announces acting registrar for LASU

Mr. Fanu was, until his new appointment, the Deputy Registrar and Secretary, Post-Graduate School of the University.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos has approved the appointment of a deputy registrar, Emmanuel Famu, as the acting registrar for the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo.

This was contained in a statement issued late Thursday night by the university’s coordinator of the centre for information, press and public relations (CIPPR), Ademola Adekoya.

The new development, PREMIUM TIMES learnt, is a follow up to the recent announcement of the dissolution of the university’s governing council by the governor, and the directive that the former registrar, Olayinka Amuni, should embark on compulsory leave pending the conclusion of the processes for the appointment of the institution’s 9th substantive vice-chancellor.

According to the statement, Mr Fanu’s nomination was submitted to Mr Sanwo-Olu on behalf of the university by his special adviser on education, Tokunbo Wahab, who is said to have acted as the university’s “surrogate governing council.”

The statement reads in part; “Mr. Fanu was until his new appointment, the Deputy Registrar and Secretary, Post-Graduate School of the University.

“His appointment will run until the selection process of the 9th Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University is concluded.”

Why acting registrar?
Following the controversies surrounding the appointment of the university’s 9th substantive vice-chancellor and the cancellation of the first selection process by the governor who doubles as the Visitor to the institution, a visitation panel was set up to unravel the mystery behind the controversies.

Headed by the Pro-Chancellor of the Ekiti State University and former Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Bamitale Omole, the six-man visitation panel also has as members, a former vice-chancellor of University of Port Harcourt, Joseph Ajienka; a renowned political scientist, Ayo Olukotun; former Lagos Solicitor-General, Lawal Pedro; former Registrar of University of Ibadan (UI), Olujimi Olukoya, and a director in the state’s public service, Funmilola Olajide, who functioned as the panel’s Secretary.

Contained in the panel’s report which was submitted on May 10 are recommendations for the dissolution of the Adebayo Ninalowo-led governing council, directive for the registrar to embark on compulsory leave, and setting up of a full-fledged visitation panel.

Mr Amuni is reportedly being punished for allegedly not properly guiding the governing council to adhere strictly to the laws in the selection process in the appointment of the institution’s 9th substantive vice-chancellor.

Acting registrar’s profile
Born in 1968, Mr. Fanu, a graduate of LASU, hails from Badagry in Lagos.

For his first degree, he studied Physical and Health Education and graduated in 1996. He has a Master’s in Public Administration from the university in 2005, and bagged a diploma certificate in Law in 2021.

According to Mr Fanu’s profile which is exclusively obtained by this newspaper, he joined the services of the university as administrative officer II in 1999 and rose to become a deputy registrar on October 1, 2018.

Mr Fanu was appointed the deputy registrar and secretary to the postgraduate school in 2020 and had remained in that position until his latest appointment