The controversy surrounding Odoh’s appointment stems from allegations of false claims in his academic profile, including a disputed stint as a visiting professor at the Federal University, Gusau.
President Bola Tinubu is set to dissolve the Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, following the contentious appointment of Bernard Odoh as vice-chancellor.
The controversy surrounding Odoh’s appointment stems from allegations of false claims in his academic profile, including a disputed stint as a visiting professor at the Federal University, Gusau.
The university’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria had previously raised concerns about irregularities in the appointment process.
The Federal Ministry of Education nullified Odoh’s appointment on November 1, 2024, citing the governing council’s failure to include ministry representatives and other stakeholders in the selection process.
Sources told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that the impending sacking of the governing council, led by Ambassador Greg Ozumba Mbadiwe, is expected to be announced by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, on Wednesday.
“The President will sack the Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University over the controversial appointment of its new VC. The statement will be issued today (Wednesday),” one of the sources said.
On Tuesday, October 29, 2024, the Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Anambra State appointed Odoh as the 7th substantive vice-chancellor of the school.
Odoh’s election process had been dogged by controversy from the start.
During the selection process, the school’s Senate resolved not to further participate in the selection of the university’s vice-chancellor and similar selections until the criteria published in the Vanguard Newspaper of September 12, 2024 for the selection were corrected in a well-advertised corrigendum.
The Federal University Gusau in Zamfara State earlier denied claims that Odoh was awarded professorship or had any academic ties with the school.
This clarification followed claims that Odoh became a professor at Federal University Gusau around 2015.
However, the university clarified that Odoh never served as a staff member or pioneer head of its geology department nor did he teach any courses.
The declaration made by the Federal University Gusau followed an inquiry made by Kingsley Awuka Esq, Principal Partner at Awuka, Okafor & Partners.
But Odoh countered the Federal University Gusau in over the allegations surrounding his professorship.
Odoh, in a statement made available to SaharaReporters by his Personal Assistant on Media and Publicity, Charles Otu, debunked the Federal University Gusau’s claim that he was not awarded professorship or had any academic ties with the institution. He explained his activities in the institution and the process through which he was awarded professorship by the university.
Amid the controversy following Odoh’s appointment, the Federal Ministry of Education declared Odoh’s appointment as null and void in a letter addressed to the Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Council by Mrs. R. G. Ilyasu for the Permanent Secretary of the ministry.
In the letter dated November 1, the ministry said it had been agreed that there would be no appointments without reconciliation with the aggrieved parties of the school.
The letter reads, “Sequel to your meeting with the Honourable Minister of State for Education, (HMSE) held on Friday, 25th October, 2024, it was formally agreed that no appointments should be carried out by your Council without reconciling with the aggrieved parties in the University Community.
“It has come to the attention of the Ministry that your Council had gone ahead to appoint a Vice Chancellor for the University without the Representative of the Ministry, the internal council members and other Stakeholders on Tuesday, 29th October, 2024. This is a gross disregard to constituted Authority and is not in line with Extant provisions.
“Against this backdrop: I am directed to inform you that all appointments made so far are null and void. You are therefore requested put on hold all other appointments in the University pending the assumption on duty of the new Honourable Minister of Education,” it added.
The letter was copied to the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission.
SaharaReporters reported on Monday that the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had called on President Tinubu as the school’s Visitor to urgently take concrete and decisive steps to restore law and order following the controversy that followed Odoh’s appointment.
In a statement issued on Monday following resolutions reached at the ASUU NEC meeting held at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State, the NEC maintained that the purported appointment of Odoh and Mrs Rosemary Ifeoma Nwokike, as Vice Chancellor and Registrar respectively, could not stand.
The ASUU NEC described the appointments as illegal and a mockery of the university system.
The statement which was signed by the ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, said the NEC expressed lack of confidence in the Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe-led Governing Council of the university and appealed to the Visitor, Tinubu, to intervene in order to redirect the university to the path of order, law and due process.
