From Isaac Ojo
An Alumni of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Dr Ifeanyi Nkemji has praised the Chairman of Council for his magnanimity and respect for rule of law by appointing Prof Carol Arinze-Umobias the acting Vice Chancellor of the institution.
Dr Nkemji wondered why the University Senate unilaterally varied the criteria set by the Council.
He said ,”This is a University. No student can set exams for himself. You cant ask students to answer five questions in an exams and they choose to answer only three. No student has the right to vary the instructions given in an examination.
“The University Senate therefore owes an apology to the Council for thwarting their instructions. Prof AU Nnonyelu and his cohorts should stop demarketing our University.
*Recall that Prof Charles Esimole’s tenure as the Vice Chancellor ended on June 3, 2024. Nearly one year after, no person has been appointed to replace him as a substantive Vice Chancellor.
“What has happened is that the University Community has seen 3 persons occupying the position at five different times in less than one year viz: Prof Joseph Ikechebelu, Prof Carol Arinze Umobi, Mr Benard Odoh, Prof. Joseph Ikechebelu and now Prof Carol Arinze Umobi.
“Upon the expiration of the six-month tenure of Professor Joseph Ikechebelu as the Acting Vice Chancellor, the Governing Council, vested with the powers of making policies and appointments of Principal officers of the University, through the Chairman, Barr. Olubenga M. Kokuyi, on 12 May 2025, sent a letter to the University Senate, directing the Senate to nominate five candidates for the onward appointment of the Acting Vice Chancellor.
“As standard practice demands, the Senate nominates, and the Council appoints from the nomination. The University Senate, in its 237th Special Senate Meeting on 15th May 2025 after exhaustive deliberations, paradoxically, set aside the criteria of the Governing Council to set their own criteria for nomination and at the end of the day, a total of 5 qualified and suitable persons were nominated.
“One would have thought that since the Governing Council requested for five candidates, all five nominees would be forwarded to the Council for interview and subsequent appointment. Surprisingly, it was agreed through majority votes that only three names be sent to the Council for the appointment of Acting Vice Chancellor as against 5 requested by the Council.
“In a free and fair atmosphere, and to select the three out of five candidates, Senate members were given a paper to write the name of their preferred candidate, Prof Nnonyelu scored 137, followed by Professor Umobi with 79 and Professor Ada Sam Omenyi with 37, eliminating other two candidates.
“The three names were forwarded to the Governing Council who would interview the candidates and thereafter, appoint an Acting Vice Chancellor, unfortunately, Prof Nnonyelu and Prof Ada Sam Omenyi did not participate in that interview. The Governing Council in compliance with the law appointed thereafter Prof Carol Arinze Umeobi as Acting Vice Chancellor.
“On 17th May, 2025, the news of the appointment of Prof Carol Arinze-Umobi greeted the University Community.
“However, the appointment did not go down well with Prof A.U. Nonyelu, who wrote a 4 page letter to the Governing Council Chairman asking that Prof Umobi be sacked and he be appointed instead.”
Dr Nkemji pointed out that the aggrieved Prof Nonyelu gave at least four reasons in support of his position, arguing that he did not get earlier invitation to the interview and that although the interview was rescheduled to enable him attend, his letter did not disclose if he attended the rescheduled interview.
“Prof Nonyelu’s submissions have been punctured on at least three fronts by Dr. Emeka Okeke, a Senior Lecturer in the Mass Communication Department of the University,” Dr Nkemji noted.
