Despite minister’s directive, Nigerian university insists on controversial VC appointment

The Admiralty University, Ibuzor, Delta State, has insisted on the appointment of Christopher Ogbogbo as its vice-chancellor, maintaining that it was not bound by law to select the candidate who emerged first in the selection process.

In a statement signed by its Registrar and Secretary to the university council, Isaac Mankilik, a retired commodore, the university said the selection of a vice-chancellor is “by selection and not based on marks awarded by the Joint Selection Board.”

The university noted that the only criterion was that the selected candidate be one of the three recommended candidates.

It also claimed that it followed all laid-down guidelines as contained in the university’s establishment act in the selection process of the vice-chancellor.

“The Council selected Christopher Ogbogbo, a professor, from the three candidates recommended by the Joint Selection Board, as mandated by Section 4(1) subsections 5 and 6 of the ADUN Act 2022,” the statement dated 4 March reads in part.

“The Act does not require the council to select the candidate with the highest score from the recommended candidates.”

Controversy

PREMIUM had reported how some members of the university council appointed Mr Ogbogbo as the vice-chancellor in the absence of the council chair, Dele Ezeoba, a retired vice-admiral and Nigeria’s former Chief of Naval Staff.

In the latest statement, the university said the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Mohammed Abdullahi, Rear Admiral and member of the council, was nominated as acting chairman of the council “since the chairman was absent.”

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But the council chair described the meeting as kangaroo, declaring both the meeting and the appointment of a candidate who came second as “illegal,” adding that the process undermined merit.

He wrote to the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, informing him of the development.

In response, the education minister reversed Mr Ogbogbo’s appointment and approved the appointment of Lucian Chukwu, also a professor, who came first in the selection process.

According to the report of the joint selection board reviewed by this newspaper, Mr Chukwu emerged first with 83.41 per cent, among the top five candidates interviewed between Monday, 24 and Wednesday, 26 February, and ranked based on their performances.

Mr Ogbogbo, whom some council members appointed, emerged second with 72.5 per cent.

The university, however, defied the ministerial directive, issuing an appointment letter to Mr Ogbogbo, announcing his appointment and his imminent assumption to office.

How Mr Ogbogbo was selected

According to the minutes of the meeting seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the selection process became controversial during the 26 February council meeting due to differing opinions on how to select a preferred candidate.

The minutes were signed by some members on 28 February, two days after the meeting was said to have been held.

While nine members of the council supported voting and favoured Mr Ogbogbo, the council chair, Mr Ezeoba, argued that the candidate who emerged first be selected based on merit.

“This led to a debate over the selection procedure,” parts of the minutes read.

“The Chairman, after consulting with the Registrar on legal provisions, ruled that the voting would proceed through an open ballot system. Despite some opposition, members eventually agreed to proceed under this format.”

The Registrar confirmed that 15 eligible members would participate in the voting process, and the chairperson instructed that the names of all qualified voters be documented before voting commenced.

At the end of the voting, nine out of 15 eligible members voted in favour of Mr Ogbogbo.

“However, the Chairman expressed a strong view that he preferred Professor Lucian Obinnaya Chukwu, who was one of the 3 recommended candidates on the JSB’s list, to be appointed as the substantive Vice Chancellor of ADUN. Several members expressed strong objections to this view, stating that the voting process should be honoured,” the minutes added.

The members argued that any of the three professors recommended by the joint selection board was qualified to be selected as the Vice-Chancellor in accordance with the ADUN Act 2022.

“In response to the disagreement, the Chairman announced that if Professor Lucian Obinnaya Chukwu was not appointed as the substantive Vice Chancellor, he would resign from his position as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council.”

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“Nine members of the Council voted for Christopher Ogbogbo, thus making him the selected candidate for the post of Vice-Chancellor of ADUN by Council members.”

A recurring scenario

The selection of a vice-chancellor in Nigerian universities is often fraught with controversies, usually as a result of preferences by some members of the council.

In less than a year, the selection process of vice-chancellors in two federal universities has been controversial. These are the Nnamdi Azikiwe University and the University of Abuja.

In all cases, President Bola Tinubu has sacked the council, appointed new ones and ordered a fresh selection process.