Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Tuesday signed a bill into law, which converted the Lagos State University (LASU) to a residential institution and approved 70 years retirement age for professors of the institution.

The law, LASU (Amendment) Bill 2015, also approved a five-year single term for the Vice-Chancellor of the University.

Ambode, while signing the bill into law at the State House, Ikeja, said it was aimed at raising the standard of the school to an enviable position.

He said it was also to make it a school that people would be proud of.

The governor said it was the desire of the state government to build a LASU that would produce better students.

According to him, changes will begin to happen in the school in the next few days.

The Deputy Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, said the law was amended to address the acrimony that arose during the tenure of Prof. John Obafunwa as Vice-Chancellor of the school.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had engaged in a running battle with Obafunwa, the immediate past vice-chancellor.

The union wanted the school to approve 70 years as retirement age for professors, single term of five years for Vice-Chancellor, among others.

Eshinlokun-Sanni said the major reform of the law was approving a five-year single term for the Vice-Chancellor of the school in order to prevent the crisis often encountered when the Vice Chancellor’s position runs for two terms.

“Another major reform in the law is converting LASU to residential, while the retirement age of professors of the institution will now be 70 years instead of the usual 65 years.”

He said turning the school to residential would help in mitigating incessant clashes between students of the school and residents of Iba community. (NAN)

•Photo shows Gov. Ambode.

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