The battle for the vice chancellorship position at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, apparently came to an end on Thursday when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sacked the ex-vice chancellor, Dr Ifeanyi Odoh, and reinstated Prof. Joseph Ikechebelu, the former deputy vice chancellor (administration), as acting vice chancellor.
This development followed the earlier removal of Prof. Ikechebelu from office by the immediate past governing council of the university, led by Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe.
Ikechebelu had been forcefully ousted by a platoon of soldiers, who were deployed in what some described as a gestapo-style operation, and replaced with Prof. Carol Imobi as acting vice chancellor.
The decision was confirmed through a letter from the Ministry of Education, signed by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Nasir Sani Gwarzo, and copied to all members of the university Senate and the acting registrar.
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“Sequel to the approval of His Excellency, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, via letter Ref PRES 184 / Edu/ 10 dated 18th Nov 2024, nullifying the appointment of Prof. Benard Odoh as the 7th substantive vice chancellor of the university, who was illegally appointed by the dissolved governing council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, I am pleased to convey the approval of the honorable minister to reinstate you as acting vice chancellor of the university with immediate effect. Consequently, you are directed to take charge of the administration of the university,” the letter read.
The letter further instructed that any matter requiring the approval of the governing council should be forwarded to the Minister of Education pending the reconstitution of a new governing council by the president.
In a related development, Comrade Kingsley Ubaoji, the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at UNIZIK, has raised an alarm about a threat to his life.
Ubaoji told Daily Trust that, “I am not in Awka; I am in Abuja and I have to be alive first to talk. As I speak now, there are threats to my life, and that is why I am not in Awka.”
It was also reported that over twenty senior lecturers from the university have fled Anambra State for Abuja, citing similar threats to their lives following the recent political turmoil at the institution.
Meanwhile, the sacked VC had earlier challenged his dismissal, saying the ministry had no authority to make such an announcement, particularly with the matter still under judicial review.
Another key flaw in the letter, according to Odoh, was that it had not been formally communicated to the chairman of the governing council.
Furthermore, the letter was not signed by the president or the Secretary to the Government of the Federation—who had issued the council members appointment letters—but by a Public Relations Director, “raising doubts about the authenticity and intentions behind the communication.”
The series of events in the university has however created a palpable sense of unease within the academic community, with many faculty members reportedly fleeing for their safety.
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