President Bola Tinubu is set to dissolve the Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, amid growing controversies surrounding the appointment of Professor Bernard Odoh as the institution’s vice-chancellor.
Sources confirm that the president has approved the move, with the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, expected to make the official announcement soon.
The controversy began after Odoh’s appointment on October 29, 2024, as the seventh substantive vice-chancellor of the university. However, allegations of irregularities in his academic credentials and the selection process have overshadowed his emergence. Critics, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), have described his appointment as a “mockery of the university system.”
Questionable Academic Profile
Central to the controversy is Odoh’s claim that he served as a visiting professor at the Federal University, Gusau (FUGUS) between 2015 and 2017. In separate letters, FUGUS and its ASUU chapter refuted the claim, sparking public criticism of his academic profile. Odoh, however, defended his record, stating through his spokesperson, Charles Otu:
“I was appointed a visiting professor in 2014 at FUGUS and was subsequently promoted to the rank of full professor of applied geophysics in 2015.”
The process leading to Odoh’s appointment has also drawn scrutiny. The UNIZIK chapters of ASUU and the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria alleged that the university flouted established recruitment procedures.
A November 1 memo from the Federal Ministry of Education nullified the appointment, citing the absence of ministry representatives and internal council members during the decision-making process.
In response, the university’s Governing Council, led by Greg Mbadiwe, insisted it acted within the law. Registrar R.I. Nwokike defended the council’s actions in a letter, asserting: “The council adhered strictly to a valid judgment from a competent court, which directed it to exercise its statutory authority in appointing the vice-chancellor.”
ASUU’s National President, Emmanuel Osodeke, did not mince words in condemning the situation, stating:
“The appointments of Bernard Odoh as vice-chancellor and Rosemary Nwokike as registrar are illegal and violate all known procedures, from advertisement to the final selection process.”
President Tinubu’s intervention comes as many stakeholders in the education sector question the integrity of university governance in Nigeria. A source familiar with the matter disclosed:
“The president has given approval for the dissolution of the council. This decision underscores the government’s commitment to restoring order and integrity to the university system.”
As the education ministry prepares to announce the dissolution, the saga raises broader questions about governance and the enforcement of due process in Nigerian higher education.
