From Ifeoma Ejiofor
On 17 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.
He gave at least four reasons in support of his position:He argued that he did not get earlier invite 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.
He submitted that Prof Carol Umeobi having acted for about 4 months was disqualified from being nominated. He asserted that the appointment of Prof Carol Umeobi violated the Ministry of Education guidelines. He finally opined that since Prof Umeobi was not eligible to contest for the substantive position of the Vice Chancellor, she is not eligible to be appointed to the acting position.
These submissions have been punctured on at least three fronts by Dr. Emeka Okeke, a Senior Lecturer in the Mass Communication Department of the University as follows: Prof Nnonyelu did not explain to the Council why he, as a member of the Senate, did not object to the nomination of Prof Umeobi on the floor of the Senate but preferred to have a name of an ‘unqualified person’ sent, participated in an ‘election’ with such unqualified person and only complained because the outcome is not favourable to him.
This is playing double-standards which has no place in a University. By the letter of complaint to the Council, Prof Nnonyelu unwittingly admitted that the Council has powers to reject any nomination by the Senate. Otherwise why is Prof Nnonyelu asking the Council to disqualify Prof Umeobi duly nominated or ‘elected’ by the Senate? If Prof Nnonyelu truly believes that he was ‘elected’ the Acting Vice Chancellor, why was he complaining of denying him of an opportunity to attend interview. What use is the interview?
Does Prof Nnonyelu not know that the import of the recent intervention of the Ministry of Education is that acting Vice Chancellors are disqualified from contesting for the position of the Vice Chancellor?
Does Prof Nnonyelu not know that it would have been preposterous to insist on appointing somebody eligible to contest for VC and turn around to disqualify the person from contesting?
Commenting on the situation, Dr Ifeanyi Nkemji, an alumni of the University, praised the Chairman of Council for his magnanimity and respect for rule of law.
He wondered why the University Senate unilaterally varied the criteria set by the Council. In his words, ‘this is a University. No student can set exams for himself. You cant ask students to answer 5 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 Nnonyelu and his cohorts should stop demarketing our University.’ Unfortunately, Prof Nnonyelu did not respond to these issues at press time as attempts to reach him proved abortive. 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 5 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.