By Okey Maduforo Awka.
There is growing controversy over the election of a substance Vice Chancellor for the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka.
This controversy is coming as the Senate of the University passes a vote of our confidence on the Chairman of the University Governing Council Amb Greg Mbadiwe over allegations of try to tamper with the statutory provisions for the election of a substance Vice Chancellor.
The Senate further contended that the act of high handedness by Mbadiwe is unbecoming urging President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to relieve him of his appointment.
The Senate representatives of University disclosed this shortly after a meeting presided over by the Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Carol Umobi 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 have resolved to withhold cooperation with the current governing council and requested an extension of the incumbent Acting Vice Chancellor Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi’s tenure 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 the them , Mbadiwe is being insensitive to the needs of the university and unsuitable for the role of pro- Chancellor, raisin concerns that have grown since his council took office.
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.
The Senate representatives also raised concerns about the stipulation that candidates must possess 15 years of post-PhD experience and questioned the rationale for favoring candidates without substantial administrative backgrounds, 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 condemnstion followed an emergency general meeting of MDCAN,in a communique issued 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 stalled meeting I said while the Senate is awaiting for president urgent trptlyy ,they strongly objected to the exclusion of clinical professors from the Vice-Chancellor candidacy.
He emphasized 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”
“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.
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. Following an emergency general meeting, MDCAN 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
