• Bello distanced himself from Ogun guber in 2019

By Gabriel Dike

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Outgoing Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Prof Rahamon Bello on Tuesday gave account of his stewardship and mentioned the April 2016 students’ violent protest as his major regret.
Flanked by principal officers of UNILAG, Prof Bello, who will leave office on November 11, told the gathering that he is not interested in the 2019 Ogun State gubernatorial contest and even distanced himself from politics.
Prof Bello confirmed that the April 2016 protest by UNILAG students for three days was a Banana peels that he managed to escape and regretted the incident.
He said another challenge he faced during his five years administration include lack of funds to pay salary, provide adequate water for students and staff, electricity and infrastructure noting ‘’once these facilities are not in place, the Banana peel can roll one over to stumble’’.
‘’My greatest regret was the April 2016 students violent protest. The problem was that we did not realize we had professional students who move from one institution to another for elective post. We realized this during investigations into the students’ violent protest. We are working to correct what happened in 2016, the VC stated.
On the speculation of his interest to run for Ogun state gubernatorial post, Prof denied it insisting he never nursed such ambition stating I don’t intend to go into politics but I will work to ensure one of my person emerged as governor’’.
He used the occasion to highlight his administration achievements in five years to include improvement on academic and research, curricula review and International programmes, research and innovation, enhanced e-result processing, e-administration and other IT reform, partnership and signing of over 40 Memoranda of Understanding with foreign institutions.
Other achievements recorded are the establishment of Joint Universities Preliminary Examination Board (JUPEB), infrastructure development including installation of CCTV on campus, staff and students’ welfare, appointment and promotion of staff, specially 104 Associate Professor elevated to professorial cadre.
Prof Bello also disclosed that under his administration, the university graduated 50,785 which account for 25 per cent of the total number of graduates produced by UNILAG in its 55 years of existence.
The outgoing VC admitted he assumed office as acting VC during a moment of ‘crises’, one, the university suddenly lost its VC, Prof Adetokunbo Sofoluwe on May 12, 2012 and the second, former President Goodluck Jonathan announcement changing the name of the university.
‘’Those were trying times. We thank God that we were able to quickly get over that and moved on’’, Bello explained.
He charged the incoming VC, Prof Olawatoyin Ogundipe, to adhered to the rules and regulations in administering the institution and urged him to avoid double standard in dealing with staff and students.