UNILAG VC plans N1bn lawsuit over financial misconduct claims

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Folasade Ogunsola, is ready to sue an online media outfit, Naija OnPoint, for N1 billion. This follows a report claiming there were financial issues at the university.

In a letter dated 29 October, Mrs Ogunsola asked the editor-in-chief and publisher of Naija OnPoint to take down the report, retract it, and apologize to her within 48 hours of receiving the letter.

The letter was signed by Taiwo Osipitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), from Bayo Osipitan & Co., and was shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday.

The report in question, titled "Citadel of Criminals: Under VC Folashade Ogunsola, UNILAG Staff Pocketed N397million In Irregular Payments While N434million In Cash Advances Went Unretired," was published on Naija OnPoint’s website and its social media accounts on X and LinkedIn, as stated in the letter.

Yet, PREMIUM TIMES could not find the report on Naija OnPoint’s website. A similar report with the same title appeared in Secrets Reporters on 24 October.

Secrets Reporters claimed that UNILAG staff received N397.5 million in irregular payments and that N434.8 million in cash advances was unaccounted for.

The report also stated that N355.6 million in payments lacked supporting documents and that N178 million was paid as unapproved allowances.

Additionally, it reported that N121.7 million worth of items were missing from the university’s inventory, N116.4 million in payments violated the federal government's e-payment policy, and N82.9 million in cash advances exceeded the approved limit.

The report also mentioned unaccounted withdrawals from university accounts, unapproved travel grants, and payments for international trips without approval.

This was the third report by Secrets Reporters looking into the university’s finances during Mrs Ogunsola's tenure.

In two previous reports, the publication stated that UNILAG did not disclose N7.83 billion in contracts on Nigeria’s Open Contracting Portal, failed to remit N3.89 billion in internally generated revenue, and paid N7 billion for contracts that auditors could not verify.

The reports connected these alleged financial issues to Mrs Ogunsola, who was in charge during the financial year covered by the audit.

Her lawyer stated that the report wrongly linked her to the alleged financial misconduct of unnamed university staff.

Mr Osipitan, a professor, argued that the headline and content painted her as a dishonest leader who allowed the misuse of public funds and led a university filled with criminals.

He said Mrs Ogunsola supports investigative journalism and responsible reporting but cannot accept "false and unverified claims" that could harm her reputation.

He stressed that she did not participate in, authorize, or knowingly facilitate any wrongdoing.

The lawyer referenced laws on defamation and cybercrime, particularly Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, as amended.

He called on Naija OnPoint to publish a retraction and apology as prominently as the original report. The organization was also asked to commit in writing not to republish the claims and to prevent further spread of the allegations.

Mr Osipitan warned that failure to comply within 48 hours would lead to legal action against the organization and anyone else who shared the publication.

He also mentioned that he might report the case to law enforcement for investigation and potential prosecution.

In the planned lawsuit, Mrs Ogunsola seeks N500 million in general damages and another N500 million in exemplary damages.

She also wants a court to declare the publication defamatory, order its removal from the website and social media, and issue a permanent ban on future publications of the claims.

NaijaOnPoint’s Head publisher, Anthony Balogun, said they have removed the report from their website and social media, including X and LinkedIn.

In an email to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday, Mr Balogun explained that the article was sourced from Secrets Reporters and was not an original piece by Naija OnPoint.

He added that they informed Mrs Ogunsola’s lawyer about the removal and received acknowledgment of their response.

"We consider the matter resolved," he stated.