Sources at the UNIZIK told SaharaReporters on Friday that ideally and in accordance with university rules and regulations, candidates for the position of vice chancellor must have spent at least 10 years as a full professor.
Dr Benard Ifeanyi Odoh, an Associate Professor at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), has been alleged to be positioned for the role of Vice-Chancellor by influential politicians within the All Progressives Congress (APC), despite not meeting the necessary qualifications for the position.
A document obtained by SaharaReporters revealed that Dr Odoh, who was promoted to Associate Professor (Reader) in 2022, has reportedly never held critical administrative roles such as Head of Department, Dean, or Director.
Furthermore, he has not reportedly supervised any Ph.D. candidates, leading many to question his suitability for the vice-chancellorship.
The document confirmed that Dr. Odoh, who is currently a Reader (Associate Professor), was on salary grade level 6 as of September 3, 2024.
Dr Odoh was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in 2023 and served as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) of Ebonyi State from 2015 to 2018.
Sources at the UNIZIK told SaharaReporters on Friday that ideally and in accordance with university rules and regulations, candidates for the position of vice chancellor must have spent at least 10 years as a full professor.
One of the sources said, "Sadly and typical with corrupt practices, there are said to be unholy plans to foist Dr Ben Ifeanyi Odoh, currently a Reader in the Department of Applied Geophysics in UNIZIK who is presently not qualified to become a full professor as at the time.”
The source noted that Dr Odoh cannot be qualified to even apply for the position of Vice-Chancellor with his salary grade let alone his rank.
The source said, "The former Secretary to the Ebonyi State Government was sacked two and a half years into his tenure for his alleged involvement in a murder case as well as insubordination/disloyalty to his boss, then Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Umahi, is reported to be boasting that he is the next Vice Chancellor despite not being a substantive professor, least of being ten years on the professorial chair.
"The bizarre advert that greeted the University community a few weeks ago was specifically designed to exclude medical professionals and most of the otherwise qualified professors and it's one step towards subterranean attempts to announce Dr. Odoh as Vice Chancellor in December, and dare those who feel aggrieved to go to court.
The source added that lecturers and other critical stakeholders of the university were already mobilizing to resist such a ploy which they said is against the best practices of modern-day university administration.
The source said the Medical and Dental Consultants' Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has questioned why the Council and other extraneous interests are determined to rubbish and violate Nnamdi Azikiwe University through the brazen and crude imposition.
The source told SaharaReporters that from all indications, the Council is bent on proceeding with its plans as the representations of MDCAN have obviously been ignored.
"Such advertorials have always provided a possession of a Doctorate degree, or its equivalent as well as possession of administrative experiences within the university system.
"However, the advertorial is silent on issues of administrative experiences. Hence one wonders how an unqualified candidate will sit over the affairs of a university like Unizik.
"One would wonder why a few people were planning to undermine the university’s image by doing what was inappropriate and definitely not acceptable to a university of repute such as the Nnamdi Azikiwe University," he said
The source noted that at a time where there was not a dearth of accomplished intellectuals and academics in the university, why would anyone attempt to foist Dr. Odoh on the university.
The source said some lecturers were moving to petition the Visitor of the University via the Minister of Education to forestall such an occurrence which would provoke avoidable unrest in the school should it ever be allowed to occur.
"From indications, Odoh's stint in politics has given him access to funds and some level of contacts with some political big wigs. However, that should not be enough reason to violate an Ivory Tower like Nnamdi Azikiwe University which has built a reputation for itself," the source said, adding "that the Advert through which the immediate past Vice Chancellor assumed office clearly stated ten years post-professorship amongst other criteria".
A senior member of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNIZIK chapter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the alleged plot as an "evil plan against the University", and vowed that it will be resisted vehemently by the Union.
The union warned the Governing Council "not to allow itself to be rubbished over the issue.
The senior lecturer said, "We, however, wait to see with what scoring criteria Dr Odoh will be produced since he has not been Head, Dean or Director and has also not supervised any candidate for Ph.D."
Another senior lecturer queried Dr. Odoh's PhD since it was said to be earned between 2006 and 2008. He noted that as a staff member, he could not have earned the PhD as a full-time hence he could not have obtained it in less than four years.
Attempts to get either the Head of Applied Geophysics or the Dean of Natural Sciences to speak on the controversy, proved abortive as their lines were unreachable.
It was learnt that Dr Odoh was made a Visiting Professor to Federal University in Northern Nigeria in 2014, and that some people argue that it qualifies him as a professor.
"Visiting Professorships do not count anywhere since he was obviously not assessed and could not have been assessed by a University he did not transfer his services to. It is akin to asking Dr Obiora Okonkwo of United Nigeria Airlines that was made a Visiting Professor by Unizik Business School to vie for the position of Vice Chancellor," the source said.
A professor at Unizik, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told SaharaReporters on Friday that Dr Odoh left the university around 2014 or 2015 to pursue a career in politics. At the time of his departure, he held the position of Senior Lecturer, not Associate Professor.
The professor said, "Dr Odoh served as a former Secretary to the Ebonyi State Government for some time. Some of us were surprised to hear that, upon his return, he was already using the title of 'Professor' attached to his name.
"And before we knew what had happened, we got wind that he was being positioned as the anointed candidate for the vice-chancellorship. Some APC bigwigs had concluded plans to make him the vice-chancellor of the university.
"However, all the information available to us, even as recent as last month, shows that he is still an associate professor. He was promoted to associate professor (which is equivalent to a reader) in 2022.
“If you go to the university website, you will see that something mischievous is going on. They listed his name as Professor Bernard Odoh, but also noted that he is a reader in the Department of Geophysics.
“Even the salary he collects is that of a reader, as at now. Yet, we have heard that plans have been finalized to make him the vice-chancellor, regardless of the circumstances.”
The source told SaharaReporters that those pursuing the plans are powerful people in society who believe anything can be done.
The source said, "But you know how this system works. We have our fears that the university management may be planning to doctor his credentials. I'm not making that accusation directly, but that's what is possible because of the confidence with which he is pushing on with his ambition and aspiration to become vice chancellor.”
The source said earlier, Dr Odoh used to tell people that he became a professor in Nasarawa as a visiting professor.
The source said, "And because if visiting professor does not go through appraisals, you can be invited, even your experiences, one university can just issue you a letter and tell you to come and lecture them as a visiting professor. But your primary place of assignment where you are supposed to go through the ranks and get appraised as you grow is where your professorship really matters.”
The source added that Dr Odoh became a reader in 2022. When SaharaReporters contacted Dr Benard Ifeanyi Odoh about the allegations that he was a reader and had not yet attained the rank of full professor, he declined to comment.
He said, "The university has a governing council, and the governing council is the highest organ of the university. They have the power to appoint so allow the council to do their job.
"It's not your job to decide who is qualified or not, and that's what I can answer you for now. It is not the business of the man in the market to decide. It is the governing council and no other person, so allow them to do their job.
"If they find me qualified, fine, and if they don't find me qualified, it should be that way. So people shouldn't bother themselves about what doesn't concern them.”
He continued, "The council will decide what they want to do, not you or me. The university law is clear; the governing council is the only one invested with the power to appoint and no other person. So they have put up an advert that they have their criteria. So they will take the steps to interview and decide who is qualified.
"This is the procedure, so anything out of this is a rumor and it has no basis. So if you read the University Act, the law of the university, you will see clearly it is the governing council that will decide.”
"It's not the man in the market or the man in his bedroom to decide. So if I'm qualified, they would decide. If I'm not qualified, they would decide, it's not any other person’s business," he added.