Tinubu Set to Dissolve Nnamdi Azikiwe University Governing Council Over Controversial Appointment of Bernard Odoh as VC

President Bola Tinubu is set to dissolve the Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka following the controversial appointment of Bernard Odoh as the university’s vice-chancellor. The controversy surrounding Odoh’s appointment has been fueled by allegations of discrepancies in his academic credentials, particularly a disputed claim that he served as a visiting professor at the Federal University in Gusau. These allegations have raised significant concerns among faculty and stakeholders at the university.

The Nnamdi Azikiwe University chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria had previously voiced their concerns about irregularities in the appointment process. The Federal Ministry of Education had also intervened, declaring Odoh’s appointment null and void on November 1, 2024. The ministry’s decision cited the governing council’s failure to involve ministry representatives and other relevant stakeholders in the selection process, which violated established procedures.

Sources have now revealed that President Tinubu will soon announce the dissolution of the university’s governing council, led by Ambassador Greg Ozumba Mbadiwe. This announcement is expected to be made by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, on Wednesday. One source confirmed that the President’s statement regarding the council’s dismissal will be issued on the same day.

Odoh’s appointment as the university’s 7th substantive vice-chancellor was confirmed on October 29, 2024. However, the selection process had been controversial from the start. The university’s Senate had earlier expressed its dissatisfaction, resolving to halt its involvement in the selection of the vice-chancellor until the university’s selection criteria, which were published in the Vanguard Newspaper on September 12, 2024, were corrected and properly communicated.

A significant part of the controversy stemmed from claims that Odoh had been awarded a professorship at the Federal University in Gusau around 2015. However, the university clarified that Odoh had never served as a faculty member or held any academic position there. In response, Odoh denied the allegations, asserting that he had indeed been awarded the professorship, and defended his record in a statement issued by his media assistant, Charles Otu.

Amid these disputes, the Federal Ministry of Education took the rare step of nullifying Odoh’s appointment, stating in a letter to the university’s pro-chancellor that all appointments made by the council, including that of Odoh, were invalid. The ministry emphasized that the governing council had proceeded with the appointment despite prior agreements to reconcile with all aggrieved parties within the university. The letter, dated November 1, 2024, noted that this failure to include the ministry’s representatives and other stakeholders constituted a violation of university governance rules.

The ministry’s letter, which was also sent to the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, instructed the council to halt all further appointments pending the assumption of duties by the new Minister of Education. This directive follows the Ministry of Education’s earlier meeting with the university’s governing council, where it was agreed that no new appointments should be made without proper reconciliation.

The National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU had also called on President Tinubu to take swift action to restore order at the university. In a statement issued on November 18, 2024, the ASUU NEC criticized the appointments of Odoh and the university’s registrar, Mrs. Rosemary Ifeoma Nwokike, as being illegal. The union described the appointments as a mockery of the university system and expressed a lack of confidence in the leadership of the governing council, urging the President to intervene to restore order and ensure that due process is followed at the institution.