Image
November 3, 2024
The Governing Council of the University recently appointed Odoh as the school’s 7th substantive vice-chancellor.
The Federal Ministry of Education has declared as null and void the recent appointment of Bernard Odoh as the Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Anambra State.
The Governing Council of the University recently appointed Odoh as the school’s 7th substantive vice-chancellor.
Odoh was appointed on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 by the University's Governing Council led by the Pro- Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Amb. Greg Mbadiwe, during an interview with the candidates shortlisted for the position of the vice chancellor.
In a letter addressed to the Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Council by Mrs. R. G. Ilyasu for the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, and 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 school’s Senate had resolved not to further participate in the selection of Vice-Chancellor and similar selections until the criteria published in the Vanguard Newspaper of September 12, 2024 for the selection of Vice-Chancellor are corrected in a well-advertised corrigendum.
It was earlier reported that the management of the University had invited the candidates who submitted applications to contest the Vice Chancellor position for an interview on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.
SaharaReporters on Monday, October 28, reported that the Incorporated Trustees of Medical and Dental Consultants Association of NAUTH, Nnewi and Dr. Victor Modekwe had filed a suit before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), seeking an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the 1st and 4th Defendants/ Respondents, their agents, assigns, servants, representatives, privies, or whosoever acting on their behalf from carrying on with the process of appointment of a Vice Chancellor based on the publication of September 12, 2024 pending the hearing and determination of the suit by the court.
Joined in the suit marked No. NICN/ABJ/383/2024 as Defendants are Nnamdi Azikiwe University, National Universities Commission, Federal Ministry of Education and The Council, Nnamdi Azikiwe University as the 1st to 4th Defendants/Respondents.
Prof. Carol Arinze Umobi, Ag. Vice Chancellor, and Mr. Victor Modebelu, Ag. Registrar of the University were also joined in the suit as the 5th and 6th Defendants/Respondents respectively.
Similarly, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the school has filed a legal action against the appointment of Odoh and Mrs Rosemary Ifeoma Nwokike as the Vice Chancellor and Registrar of the University respectively.
In the suit filed on Tuesday October 29, at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in the Awka Judicial Division, marked suit no. NICN/AWK/52/2024, the Claimants sought among others order of perpetual injunction restraining the duo from parading themselves and/or performing the functions of the Vice Chancellor and Registrar of the school.
They want the court to declare that the “unilateral selection, appointment, and composition of the Selection Board for the appointment of the Registrar of the University on October 21, 2024 and the Vice Chancellor on October 29, is illegal, null and void, ultra vires, and of no effect”.
SaharaReporters gathered that despite protests and outrage over the alleged skewed process, the Governing Council sat and appointed Odoh, a former Secretary to the Government of Ebonyi State as the school’s VC.
Odoh, a graduate of the school began his academic voyage in 2006 as an Assistant Lecturer, Department of Geology and Exploration Geophysics, Faculty of Physical Sciences, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki.
In 2009, he officially joined Nnamdi Azikiwe University as Lecturer I in the Department of Geological Sciences, Faculty of Physical Sciences. By 2012, he was made a Senior Lecturer and became a Reader in 2019.
Follow the Sahara Reporters channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaFClvtH5JM6SSsP7M2Y