• VC, Registrar selection crisis puts governing council on edge
By Gabriel Dike
Certainly, this is not the best of times for the 33-year-old Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State, just as details have emerged of how the Governing Council sidelined critical stakeholders in the selection of its Vice Chancellor and Registrar.
Daily Sun learnt that this caused disquiet on campus and in the Nigerian University System (NUS). At the centre of the crisis are Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe, university Senate, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Medical Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), concerned professors, stakeholders and some interested politicians.
The two embattled officers caught in the web are the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bernard Ifeanyi Odoh, and Registrar, Mrs. Rosemary Nwokike. Some staff accused the governing council of favouring the two over better-qualified candidates.
The crisis started when the position of Registrar became vacant and candidates applied for the plum job. Protests trailed the appointment exercise but the council chairman ignored the protest to appoint Nwokike.
For the VC’s position, the first sign of crisis was the rejection of the advertisement placed by the council without inputs from Senate and MDCAN. ASUU, Senate and concerned professors called for a review of the criteria for the position and placement of a new advert for the VC position.
The governing council again ignored the protest and went ahead with the selection exercise. The process of unveiling the applications was also shrouded in secrecy, as only few council members were involved. There was no shortlisting of the 18 applicants.
Another major area of contention was the composition of a search team. Some council members and the Senate were not carried along as individuals were handpicked into the search team.
Politics of exclusion
The council commenced the interview exercise for the VC without the involvement of the internal council members, congregation and the representative of the Federal Ministry of Education.
Despite the complaint about the advert and non-compliance with extant laws, the council interviewed 15 out of the 18 applicants. Initially, the interview was scheduled for December 2024. But the council chairman allegedly brought forward to October 29, 2024.
The council was accused of taking the selection exercise outside the campus, specifically to a hotel and the process lasted less than five hours. The entire governing council members ought to have met to appraise the interview conducted by the selection committee. Rather, the pro-chancellor was alleged to have announced the appointment of Odoh as the new VC.
Odds against Odoh
Before the interview some staff submitted petitions against Odoh, querying his professorship. The council ignored the petitions.
A concerned citizen, Kingsley Awuka, on October 4, 2024, wrote the Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara State, to know the academic status of Odoh based on the Freedom of Information Act (FoI). The embattled VC claimed to have pioneered the Department of Geology of the university and earned his professorship in the institution.
In response, the university on October 23, 2024, in a letter signed by Shehu Suleiman, said: “Our record shows that Dr. Ifeanyi Bernard Odoh was never a staff nor pioneer Head of Department of Geology. He never showed up in the department or taught any course (s).”
More petitions
In a petition to the council chairman by three Senate representatives and one from the Congregation, they faulted the university registrar’s response to the Federal Government nullification of the appointment of new VC and Register.
The three-page petition, the internal council members, Professors Ikenga Oraeqbunam, Tracie Utoh-Ezeajugh, Igwebuike Onyiaorah and Samuel Onwuemene, complained:
“The procedure for selection and appointment of substantive VC and Registrar of UNIZIK are provided for in the relevant provisions of the University Act and in the University Miscellaneous Provisions Act.
“The combined reading of the above laws envisaged that the VC and the registrar of the university shall be appointed by the governing council after due process leading thereto.
“Your office, of course knows that the internal members neither made any input in the drafting of the adverts nor ratified same. Some issues in the referred adverts were inimical to the good and interest of UNIZIK. You will recall that we pointed those out to the council and when we argued for a modification of the adverts in the inaugural meeting of the council, you vetoed us.”
The concerned internal council members faulted the appointment of the selection committee and search team for the VC without the inputs of Senate and Congregation: “The applications ought to be opened in the full glare of all council members to know who applied for the job and allow for proper short listing of applicants.
“We attended the council meeting of October 29, 2024, with the hope that the issues on various petitions against the council and the attendant controversies would be discussed and to chart the way forward.
“Instead your office went straight to brief the council that 18 persons applied and that 15 attended the interview. Further, without allowing any opportunity for deliberation, your office announced the seventh substantive VC.”
Legal aspect to the crisis
Prof. Ikechukwu Ekwealor (SAN), wrote UNIZIK Registrar, reminded her of an appending suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on the VC selection. He said paragraph 4 (3) of the First Schedule to UNIZIK Act, states that the Joint Council and Senate Selection Board, shall consist of the Pro-Chancellor as the chairman, two members of the council, not being members of the Senate, who are professors, but who are not members of the search team.
The letter reminded the Registrar of the Senate resolutions at its 227th meeting challenging the processes relating to the unlawful selection/appointment of the new VC. Ekwealor said at the meeting, the Senate resolved that it would “not participate in any further step towards the selection of the VC and similar selection, until the corrigendum in the advert is reflected.”
In September 2019, Odoh wrote the then VC, urging the university to place him “appropriately” on the rank of a professor: “I was previously assessed and appointed professor by Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara State. My last promotion was in 2012 to the rank of Senior Lecturer.”
But on resumption of duty from political appointment on September 25, 2019, Odoh’s resumption letter to the university listed PhD as his highest rank. In another memo dated March 4, 2022, conveying his promotion to a Reader, the university management addressed him as Dr. Bernard Odoh.
On October 20, 2022, Odoh in a memo to the VC indicated his highest rank as PhD. Again, his Head of Department in a circular dated April 23, 2024, referred to him as Dr. Odoh.
On July 31, 2024, Registrar, Federal University, Gusau, Ibrahim Kaura, wrote to Odoh: “I write on behalf at the Federal University Gusau to offer you appointment as visiting Reader in the Department of Geological Science, Faculty of Science for duration of one year with effect from the date of you assume duty.”
Odoh’s August 2024 pay slip via the Federal Government pay platform, IPPIS, indicated his rank as a Reader.
ASUU’s position
In May 2015, Prof Kingsley Ubaoji, Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNIZIK, argued that Conditions of Service of UNIZIK does not provide for the appraisal and promotion of staff on study leave/leave of absence/suspension: “The rules states that for a staff to qualify for promotion, such a person must present himself for appraisal by obtaining and completing the appraisal form within the year under review, which he failed to do because of his political appointment.
“Apart from Odoh not meeting the eligibility criteria, the pro-chancellor, violated, disregarded and undermined the rule of law and imposed him on the university above highly qualified academic giants.
“At the time he was appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Ebonyi State, he was Senior Lecturer. We were therefore surprised that he started using the title of a professor.
“The law allows for leave of absence if one is given a political appointment. If one is going for an elective position, such staff is expected to resign his appointment with UNIZIK, which Odoh failed to do when he contested the governorship and senatorial elections in Ebonyi State.
“Therefore, that Dr. Odoh continues to earn his promotion in the university even while running for elective position is another red flag, and can only be explained by the past VC, Prof. Charles Esimore.
“Based on non compliance with the extant laws, the union demands for the removal of Mbadiwe as council chairman and four other government appointees on the council. The union also asks for the nullification of the appointment of the new VC and registrar, reconstitute the council and order a fresh advert and selection process for a new VC and Registrar.”
My appointment valid -Odoh
The embattled VC, whose appointment was annulled by the Federal Ministry of Education contested the decision and resumed office on Monday, November 4, 2024. He said the ministry has no legal powers to nullify and void his appointment.
A statement by his Media Assistant, Mr. Charles Otu, said: “Based on Nigeria’s extant laws, the Ministry of Education only oversees general educational standards across the nation, but does not have the legal powers to direct or control the daily decisions of a university council, including who should be appointed as VC.
“The institution has rightly stated that all its actions were informed and conforms with the statutory requirements set forth in the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Act, Cap 139 (as amended), LFN 2004.
“The Registrar, who doubles as the Secretary to the council had replied that the actions of the council were in total conformity with the provisions of Section 6 (a) of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Standing Orders of the governing council which stipulates that the quorum requirements which mandates the presence of five members, including at least one of the following: The vice-chancellor or his deputy, one appointee of the Visitor and one appointee of the Senate.
“For further clarification, the attention of the general public must be drawn first and foremost to the fact that our extant laws clearly specified the roles of the governing council of a tertiary institution vis-a-vis those of the Visitor and the parent’s Ministry of Education.
“This council is designed to function independently, separate from direct control by outside bodies, including the Federal Ministry of Education.
“In Nigeria, the university governing council plays a unique and critical role in administration and governance of universities.
“Therefore, when the council reaches a decision, such as appointing a new vice-chancellor, (as it was done in the instant case of UNIZIK), it communicates this decision to the ministry as a form of official notice. This is a requirement for transparency and coordination, not for approval or control.”
Minister reads riot to UNIZIK council
At his first ministerial briefing, the new Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said university councils were created to follow rules that have been enacted: “Nobody will be allowed to make his own rules.
“What happened at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, will be reversed. Nobody, no council chairman is above the law and we will not allow that to happen. Universities are centres for freedom and university councils are meant to work closely with the Senate of the university. There are rules that are established by the National Universities Commission (NUC), which are expected to be complied with by the councils.
“No chairman of any council will make his own rules. Any anomaly that happened at UNIZIK will be reversed. The laws of the country are bigger than anybody.”