Unending controversy over UNIZik VC election

There is growing controversy over the election of a substantive Vice Chancellor for the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka.
Okey Maduforo reports on the politics in the institution.
Since the end of the tenure of the immediate past Vice Chancellor Prof Charles Okechukwu Esimone, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka has been neck deep in crisis.
Trouble started when Esimone handed over to the Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration Prof Joseph Ikechebelu which raised dust within the ranks of the University.
Opponents of Ikechebelu contended that it was improper on the grounds that there ought to have been an election.
But according to the Special Adviser to the office of the Vice Chancellor on Information and Communication Dr Emma Ojukwu dismissed those claims, noting that the University Governing Council has not been set up as it is the duty of the Council to organise the election.
Ojukwu further explained that the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics had retired while Ikechebelu the Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration is still in service, hence his appointment as Acting Vice Chancellor.
However, within one month or so a melodrama played out which led to the removal of Ikechebelu.
In his place, Prof Carol Imobi was appointed as Acting Vice Chancellor for university.
The institution later said that Prof Ikechebelu was never an Acting Vice Chancellor but failed to explain the position he occupied before Imobi.

Enter The Governing Council.
Since the setting up of the University Governing Council it has been unending crisis among the University Senate, the Chairman Governing Council, Amb Greg Mbadiwe, and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
There has been allegations of high handedness and arm twisting on the part of the Chairman as he is being accused of trying to impose a Vice Chancellor on the institution.
This is coming as the Senate of the University passed a vote of no confidence in the Chairman of the University Governing Council, Mbadiwe, over allegations of trying to tamper with the statutory provisions for the election of a substantive Vice Chancellor.
The Senate further contended that this act of high handedness is unbecoming and urged President Bola Tinubu to relieve him of his appointment.
The Senate representatives of the University disclosed this shortly after a meeting presided over by the Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Imobi during weekend which ended in a stalemate.
The Senate said it cannot continue to operate under this oppressive regime, warning that the Pro-Chancellor’s actions could jeopardize the institution’s autonomy and academic excellence.
The Senate representatives said that they had resolved to withhold cooperation with the current governing council and requested an extension of the tenure of Acting Vice Chancellor Prof. Carol Imobi’s until a new governing council is appointed.
In a show of solidarity, various groups within the university community staged protests, brandishing placards with slogans like “Dissolve Mbadiwe’s Council,” “Save UNIZIK,” and “Academic Excellence, Not Cash-and-Carry.”
The unrest has ignited fears regarding the university’s trajectory and its broader impact on the academic sphere.
The assembly of Senate Representatives presented a report on the Pro-Chancellor’s conduct during a recent governing council meeting, claiming that their attempts to engage him in constructive dialogue fell on deaf ears.
According to them, Mbadiwe is being insensitive to the needs of the university and unsuitable for the role of Pro- Chancellor.
During the failed meeting, Senate members overwhelmingly rejected the advertisement for the Vice-Chancellor position, which stipulates that candidates must have attracted a N400 million grant to the university.
They described the stipulation as a “cash-and-carry” approach that undermines the institution’s academic integrity.
Also the requirement that only candidates with a PhD could apply was heavily attacked and criticized, with suggestions that equivalent qualifications such as medical fellowships should also be considered essential.

Qualifications Of Vice Chancellor
The Senate representatives also raised concerns about the stipulation that candidates must possess 15 years of post-PhD experience and questioned the rationale for favouring candidates without substantial administrative background, such as experience as department heads or deans.
The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has similarly condemned what it sees as a deliberate effort to exclude its members from the VC candidacy.
The condemnation followed an emergency general meeting of MDCAN which issued a communique demanding the retraction of the advertisement, warning that failure to comply within seven days could lead to a total shutdown of medical education at the university.
Prof. Berthran Obi-Nwosu of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology who addressed journalists after the stalled meeting, said while the Senate is waiting for the president urgent intervention, strongly objected to the exclusion of clinical professors from the Vice-Chancellor candidacy.
He emphasised the need for criteria that accurately reflect the qualifications of clinical academics, calling the current stipulations “obnoxious.”
Obi-Nwosu further contended: “We strive for a cancellation of this advert and a new one that acknowledges clinical professors’ qualifications.
Segregating during the election process is unacceptable, as it disregards the established standards of our institution.
We have protested, the Acting VC is the first person that received our protest letter.”
He added: “The first VC, of Unizik, Prof Nwakor Festus now dead, was a fellow. The immediate past VC of UNN, was a fellow. So what I am trying to say is that all these things are standard. In University of Ibadan which is one of the highest universities in the country, they do not go into what degree you have before you become a professor.”
Professor Obi-Nwosu further commended the Acting VC for giving them a listening ear.
He said medical professors had raised their voices in protest against contentious criteria set for the Vice-Chancellor position.

UNIZik ASUU And Hour Of Rage
The Academia Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the institution has also joined in the protest over the alleged plot to impose a Vice Chancellor on the University.
According to its chapter chairman Comrade Kingsley Ubaorji in a statement to reporters said: “We were informed by our representatives in Council and we believe them that the Council meeting was adjourned to a future date (yet to be announced) in November 2024.
“At the time of this Press Conference, they are yet to be informed of any such Council meeting or selection activity. Usually, Council meetings are scheduled months ahead or in cases of emergency at least seven days notice to enable members to adjust their schedule to accommodate the meeting. In this particular case, the Chairman has decided to act unilaterally again disregarding the ri ght of other internal Council members.
“Such unilateral actions that breach the University law on appointment of Principal Officers is not tolerable and will not be condone.”

Disregarding the concern of Council members.
He added: “By continuing to take unilateral actions, ignoring the contributions of others, particularly representatives of the internal constituencies of Senate, Congregation and Convocation or disregarding their views and contributions, the Chairman is undermining the collective decision-making process and disregarding the concern of these Council members and by extension the people they represent.
“Already, the Chairman has demonstrated over and over again such disregard and appears bent to continue with these unauthorised actions ignoring the concerns of ASUU. This has ominous implications for industrial peace on campus. And this is the purpose of this Press Conference to AVERT CRISIS.”

Undermining institutional Processes.
Ubaorji continued: “There is a deliberate attempt to undermine institutional processes as so far demonstrated by the actions of the Pro Chancellor.
“There is a great rumour that the Chairman is bent on foisting an already predetermined candidate as the Vice Chancellor of the University. Indeed, a careful examination of the eligibility criteria listed in the advertisement for Vice Chancellor show that it is narrowly tailored to match the profile of a specific individual, rather than being broadly based to attract a diverse range of qualified candidates”.

UNIZik management dismisses allegations against Mbadiwe
Meanwhile the management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka has described as untrue the allegations levelled against the Chairman of the Governing Council, Amb Mbadiwe, that he is trying to compromise the stipulations for the election of a substantive Vice Chancellor for the institution.
The Special Adviser to the office of the Vice Chancellor on Public Relations, Dr Emma Ojukwu, noted that the University would always abide by the laiddown guidelines for the election of the post of Vice Chancellor.
“We would always abide by those stipulations and they cannot be compromised by anyone and it is not true those allegations from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) because the guidelines have not changed ”
He stated that the issue of high-handedness levelled against the Chairman cannot be substantiated, adding, “so we urge all and sundry to remain calm and have faith and confidence in the Governing Council of our University for us to improve teaching and learning.”