Following reports of the sack of Professor Benard Odoh as the 7th Vice-Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, by the Ministry of Education, the professor has reacted to the controversy regarding the appointment, saying it is in total compliance with relevant laws.

In a statement on Monday morning, signed by his Personal Assistant, Media and Publicity, Mr Charles Otu, he said, in compliance with the recent circular of the Management of the UNIZIK, which informed on its website that a high mass service shall be held on Tuesday as part of activities for Odoh’s assumption of office, members of the public are invited to witness the events marking the first day in office of the VC.

The statement read: “The social and mainstream media platforms have been suffused with a letter purportedly emanating from the Federal Ministry of Education dated November 1st, 2024 and addressed to the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, which claimed that the Ministry has voided the appointment of Professor Benard Ifeanyi Odoh as the 7th Vice-Chancellor of the premier institution.

“Whereas, the University’s Management whose duty it is to officially clarify the Ministry of Education and any other body for that matter on any enquiry regarding the processes leading to the appointment of Odoh, who came top among fifteen interviewed out of the eighteen candidates that applied for the same position or any other such positions has through the Registrar, R. I. Nwokike, diligently made thorough clarifications attached with facts, figures and pictorial evidences of all the processes and procedures of the University’s Senate and the Governing Council, including letters of invitations, attendance and actual representatives of appropriate authorities present during the October 29th 2024 interview and selection. Consequently, it forwarded as attached, relevant copies of all documents used.

“Whereas also, the institution has correctly stated that all of its actions were informed and conforms with the statutory requirements and provisions set forth in the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Act, Cap 139 (as amended), LFN 2004.

“The Registrar who doubles as the Secretary to the Council had in a letter dated the same day sufficiently replied the Federal Ministry of Education that the actions of the Council were in total conformity with the provisions of Section 6 (a) of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Standing Orders of the Governing Council, which stipulates that the quorum requirements which mandates the presence of five members, including at least one of the following: The Vice-Chancellor or his Deputy, one appointee of the Visitor and one appointee of the Senate.

“The Registrar had also in response to allegations of violations of due process further clarified that due process was meticulously observed throughout the appointment for both the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar.

“Also for further clarification and possible enlightenment, the attention of the general public must be drawn first and foremost to the fact that our extant laws clearly specified the roles of the Governing Council of a tertiary institution vis-a-vis those of the Visitor and the parent’s Ministry of Education.

“In Nigeria, the University’s Governing Council plays a unique and critical role in administration and governance of universities.

“It’s a special body that has been legally granted the authority to oversee the university’s operations, including making key decisions about policies, finances, and appointments—such as choosing a Vice-Chancellor, (VC). This council is designed to function independently, separate from direct control by outside bodies, including the Federal Ministry of Education.

“We must understand that under our existing law, the University Council is established to make decisions in the best interest of the University without external interference.

“Therefore, the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2003, also known as the Universities Autonomy Act No. 1, 2007, asserts this autonomy by stating that the council’s powers shall be exercised as provided in the law and statutes of each university and that establishment circulars inconsistent with these laws shall not apply to the universities.

“While the Ministry of Education, including the National Universities Commission, NUC oversees general educational standards across the nation, it does not have the legal power to direct or control the daily decisions of a university council, including who should be appointed as a Vice-Chancellor.

“Rather, the Council works within a structure of University Laws, Rules and Regulations that guide its decisions. It is therefore safe to conclude that the relationship between the University’s Governing Council and the Ministry of Education is structured by law to be respectful, yet separate.

“Therefore, when the Council reaches a decision, such as appointing a new Vice-Chancellor (VC), (as it has done in the instant case of NAU), it communicates this decision to the Ministry as a form of official notification. This is a requirement for transparency and coordination, not for approval or control.

“In this way, the Council is maintaining its role as an autonomous governing body—a body that can make its own decisions free from outside orders.”

He added: “This legal separation is important for a number of reasons. First, it allows the university to make choices based on what’s best for its students, staff and academic goals.

“Second, it prevents political or outside influences from swaying important decisions about University governance. This autonomy in governance, no doubt, protects academic freedom, allowing universities to promote an environment where ideas can grow, research can advance and students can learn without outside pressure.

“As a matter of fact, Nigerian law recognizes the University councils as autonomous bodies with the right to govern their institutions independently. And like earlier emphasized, while the Federal Ministry of Education has a general role in supporting and guiding the education sector, it does not have authority over specific university decisions or appointments. This structure is designed to protect universities and ensure they are managed by those closest to their academic mission.

“By respecting these boundaries, Nigerian universities can operate effectively, making choices that best serve their communities while also upholding national educational standards.

“This balance of autonomy and oversight is crucial to a healthy and forward-looking educational system in Nigeria and that is exactly the broader goal and objectives pursued by the Council in the case of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

“Without prejudice to related facts in this matter, however, it can be correctly deposited that the contrived misinformation and awkward desperation of some of those who died or whose preferred candidate(s) were unsuccessful in the race, though ordinarily common in an academic environment, is now getting unhealthy and distracting.

“Some of the suspected sponsors of these falsehoods that have been flying day and night since the official announcement of Odoh,a scholar who has distinguished himself in many publications and several other areas of competence and capacities within the university community and even beyond, now seems to be taken too far.

“Already, the appointment, which for now has not been expressly faulted by any law of our land, appears to be breeding some bad bloods and unsettling the nerves of some possible big spenders among our Igbo brothers, including some fifth columnists suspectedly in the nation’s ruling party.

“Could it be all about the sentiments of resentment against the average Ebonyi man by the rest of their brothers, particularly the Anambra man? Is this not already degenerating and becoming very unhealthy for a temple of knowledge in the mould of a premier institution like Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, which ordinarily should have the bests from anywhere in the world to pilot it’s affairs?

“These are now the questions on the lips of many. After all, it can be recalled that virtually all key public institutions in Ebonyi, where Odoh hails from, are named after our departed Anambra heroes.

“All parties in the matter, are therefore admonished to give peace a chance while members of the general public are urged to disregard, in its entirety, all the news and false documents purporting the declaration of the actions of the UNIZIK Governing Council as null and void.

“Rather, and in compliance with the recent circular of the Management of the institution, which informed on its website that a high Mass service shall be held on Tuesday, 5th November, 2024 as part of activities for the resumption of office of the Seventh Substantive Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Professor Benard Ifeanyi Odoh, members of the public are cordially invited to witness the events marking the first day in office of the new Vice-Chancellor.

“They are also urged to continue to demonstrate their unwavering support and commitments to ensure a successful tenure for the newly-appointed Vice-Chancellor. Already, the welter of congratulatory messages that have poured in from the academic communities, Ebonyi State, South East, Nigeria in general and the rest of the world, is already a testament to the fact that the appointment is a round peg in a round hole.”