Administration kicks as UNILAG graduands vandalise car, cart away tutorial robes

Forward of their convocation ceremony on Wednesday some unidentified postgraduate college students of the College of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, on Tuesday, vandalised a bus carrying convocation robes and carted away many.

In a video of the scene obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, a crowd had swooped on a parked bus and compelled its doorways and home windows open, whilst voices of others have been heard calling on the ‘vandals’ to desist from the motion.

Lots of them have been seen packing tutorial robes into their luggage, whilst they ran away from the scene.

The way it began

The college had introduced that convocation candidates ought to pay for tutorial robes both for hiring or for outright buy.

For each undergraduates and Grasp’s diploma classes, the college prices N40,000 for outright buy and N15,000 for hiring. For PhD class, the college prices N65,000 for outright buy with out the choice of hiring.

Nevertheless, PREMIUM TIMES learnt that many candidates had paid for the robes however couldn’t obtain them as promised by the establishment.

However talking completely with PREMIUM TIMES, the Dean of Postgraduate Faculty, Abraham Osinubi, a professor, stated the school has about 6,000 candidates for commencement within the Grasp’s class, and that preparations had been made for “a superb variety of tutorial robes since not all of the 6,000 graduands can be out there for the ceremony.”

He stated: “By Friday, about N1,300 robes had been distributed to this class and we had made preparations for extra robes. However by Monday, the robes weren’t introduced in on time however greater than 300 individuals had assembled on the PG school to gather robes.

“I used to be already within the corridor for the convocation lecture after I acquired a name that the variety of them ready for the robes was greater than the robes out there. I shortly dashed all the way down to the school to deal with them, and I pleaded with them for understanding, whilst I pledged that I’d guarantee everybody will get their robe and that I’d personally pay for the courier service to take the robe to those that already paid earlier than the convocation.”

Mr Osinubi stated to share the out there robes to these on the scene, he recommended balloting in order that there can be equity and transparency.

“However simply as we have been making preparations for a profitable balloting, a number of of the candidates swooped on the parked bus and broke it open, carting away all the tutorial robes. I couldn’t imagine my eyes; our college students? I used to be shocked and embarrassed,” he stated.

College writes graduands

In the meantime, following the event, the school despatched messages to different candidates to not come for the robes once more, whilst the school promised that those that had paid however couldn’t get robes can be refunded.

This has precipitated public outrage as some college students who have been scheduled to gather their tutorial robes, took to social media to precise frustration following the messages despatched by the college.

One of many graduating college students, Folashade Ogunrinde instructed PREMIUM TIMES that she had deliberate to go on Tuesday to get the robe earlier than she acquired the e-mail notification on the suspension of distribution.

Ms Ogunrinde stated returning the robe was one of many standards for the ultimate clearance for graduating college students. She is anxious about whether or not the standards will likely be scrapped and N15,000 for the robe will likely be refunded.

The e-mail reads: “We wish to inform you that the SPGS administration is at present finalising the preparations for the environment friendly distribution of robes. In case you are current on the SPGS or haven’t visited the PG College, please keep away from coming for now.

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“You’ll obtain detailed directions on the robe assortment course of throughout the subsequent 24 hours. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience precipitated.”

One other scholar on X with the deal with @MalachyOdo shared the e-mail lamenting the state of affairs.

College guarantees investigation

The spokesperson for the college, Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem, stated the college would examine the event, whilst she pledged that each one those that paid however couldn’t get the robes can be refunded.

“The college is investigating the matter. However I can affirm that those that paid however couldn’t obtain robes can be refunded,” Mrs Alaga-Ibraheem stated.