12TH UNILAG NEW VICE CHANCELLOR, NO 12TH FLOOR

The University of Lagos in the last two weeks had series of programmes to send forth the 11^th Vice-Chancellor(VC), Professor Rahman Ade Bello who occupied the 11^th floor of the senate Building after serving the University in various capacity before spending its mandatory 5 years as Vice-Chancellor.

Prof Bello came in 2012 in acting capacity when the erstwhile Vice-Chancellor, the 10^th, Prof Adetokunbo Sofoluwe dropped dead untimely on a Friday. It was indeed a Black Friday for the entire University community and Prof, Bello was picked to act as the Vice chancellor pending the election of a new VC by the members of the council. The period was a turbulent one in the history of the University as the former President, Good-luck Jonathan attempted to change the name of the School from University of Lagos to Moshood Abiola University, Lagos (Maulag).

The future of Maulag was averted with the intervention of current and past students of the institution which eventually yielded a great result and normalcy returned. Then, Prof. Bello was elected as the substantive Vice- chancellor and he assumed duty on 11^th November 2012 as the eleventh Chief Executive officer of the great institution which has finally come to the end on the 12^th November 2017.

During this period, the institution experienced tremendous growth in research, partnership and part of which was the securing of a Television licence for the first Campus Television in Nigeria, exactly two days to the end of the Tenure ,Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye reported.

Now that the Institution now has a new Vice Chancellor with the name Professor Toyin Ogundipe, a Professor of Botany, who is the 12th Vice chancellor from the faculty of Science. Will another floor be added to the senate Building making 12^th floor for him to occupy since the outgoing 11^th Vice Chancellor occupied the 11^th floor too?

I congratulate Prof Rahman Bello as he bows out of office and I welcome Prof. Toyin Ogundipe who takes over the reign of leadership at the prestigious institution.

Tosin Adesile writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State