The Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka Anambra State is boiling again following the reappointment of the former Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Carol Arinze-Umobi as the new one.
Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Barrister Olugbenga Kukoyi, had in a letter dated May 16, 2025, said Professor Arinze-Umobi’s appointment takes effect from May 19, 2025 and was sequel to her nomination by the Senate of the University and subsequent appointment by the Governing Council as provided by Section 5 (13) of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provision, Amendment) Act 2003.
The appointment letter stated that by virtue of Section 5 (14) of the Act, Umobi’s term of appointment shall not exceed a maximum of period of six months, or until a substantive Vice Chancellor is appointed, whichever comes first.
But Nkemdili Austin Nnonyelu, Professor of Industrial Sociology and Workplace Relations and Director, Emeka Anyaoku Institute for International Studies and Diplomacy, has expressed disappointment and shock over the appointment, describing it as “wrong, wrong-headed, ill-conceived, and certainly misdirected.”
Professor Nnonyelu claimed that the Pro-Chancellor’s actions were biased and that the criteria set for the appointment were designed to favor the selected candidate, Professor Arinze-Umobi.
Stating that the way the selection process has been handled “portends dangerous consequences for the future of our university,” Nnonyelu noted that “Senate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University on Thursday 15th May, 2025, sat, deliberated extensively” and “developed unanimously all inclusive criteria, and proceeded with nominations and elections. In the said election, I had an overwhelming victory with 132 votes, and Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi came a distant second with 79 votes. The votes showed the clear choice of not only members of the University Senate, but the university community. I was therefore recommended on top of the other candidates for Council to do the needful, that is, issue me an appointment letter. Surprisingly and very unfortunately too, there were some other hidden plots.”
Moreover, Professor Nnonyelu said: “The new and second appointment of Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi is wrong ab initio, and therefore cannot stand, except we say that this is a season of anomie in our beloved university.
“The second, very fundamental reason why Prof. Arinze-Umobi’s appointment should not be allowed to stand, is trite, a central principle of Public Service, that a person disqualified from holding a substantive position is, by that very fact, not qualified to act in that position. Thus, if a person lacks the requirements to hold a position, such a person cannot legally or ethically, act in that role.”
Part of the letter by Nnonyelu to Pro-Chancellor & Chairman of Governing Council titled ‘APPOINTMENT OF AN ACTING VICE-CHANCELLOR: SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT,’ stated: “Sir, with respect, the way this process has been handled portends dangerous consequences for the future of our university. I had believed, that given your background and profile as a lawyer and administrator, you would not only be transparent, but be seen to be so. To say the least Sir, I am disappointed, for if this is allowed to happen, as it is wont to, under your leadership, who knows what this university will become. I am truly disturbed. I do believe, that if you were in my shoes, and were treated so unjustly and unfairly, you would find it intolerable, and resist it with everything you have…
“Sir, please recall, that on 12th May, 2025, you forwarded a letter to the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ikechebelu, asking him to convene a meeting of the Senate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University to recommend persons suitable for appointment as the Acting Vice-Chancellor. Your request for recommendation is in keeping with the statutory requirements of Section 5(13) of the Universities
“Miscellaneous (Amendment) Act 1993 (amended 2003 and 2012) which provides that: “In any case of a vacancy in the office of a Vice-Chancellor, the Council shall appoint an Acting Vice-Chancellor on recommendation of the Senate.”
“Your said request for recommendation from the Senate was in response to the notification to Council by the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ikechebelu, to the effect that he will relieve himself from continued stay in office in order to remain eligible to contest the substantive position of Vice-Chancellor.
“In your letter to the Senate, your bias and preferences for the person just appointed were so glaring, with the weird list of criteria which included: a) Head of Department, b) Deputy Vice-Chancellor, c) 10 or more years as Professor, d) must be above 65 years, as well as the criterion that says a female must be included. Your set criteria cleverly excluded Dean of Faculty, Provost, Director, Academic Planning and other important, sensitive positions that your preferred choice did not have. A case of working from the answer, using the preferred candidate’s CV. These signs are ominous, reminiscent of our recent ugly experiences in the VC-ship saga in our beloved university. Sir, are we not going back to Egypt? Pro-Chancellor Sir, your letter curiously ignored the Federal Ministry of Education Guidelines for Appointment of Acting Vice-Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts (2013) or the several guidelines and regulations for the appointment of Vice-Chancellors in Nigeria by the NUC.
“In keeping to its statutory responsibilities, the Senate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University on Thursday 15th May, 2025, sat, deliberated extensively on your letter, developed unanimously all inclusive criteria, and proceeded with nominations and elections. In the said election, I had an overwhelming victory with 132 votes, and Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi came a distant second with 79 votes. The votes showed the clear choice of not only members of the University Senate, but the university community. I was therefore recommended on top of the other candidates for Council to do the needful, that is, issue me an appointment letter. Surprisingly and very unfortunately too, there were some other hidden plots.
“Yesterday Sir, about evening, I gathered from the grapevine, that a meeting of Council presided by you was convened, ostensibly for the interview and selection of an Acting Vice-Chancellor in the Council Chamber. I was neither invited nor contacted by any means whatsoever to attend the interview. This deliberate exclusion was just to help you arrive at your pre-determined destination. In the purported interview, only your preferred candidate attended, to fulfill, your perception and understanding of righteousness. However, the meeting did not arrive at any decision, as Council Members or the Secretariat can confirm, if people still have any scintila or iota of integrity and honour. The interview was rescheduled to allow us to attend, only for the Chair to unilaterally, wherever, not known by anyone, release an appointment letter to Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi as Acting Vice-Chancellor. This is a university Sir, and deserves better treatment. It takes us back to the cocktail of impunity and comedy of errors by the vanquished Amb. Greg Mbadiwe 10th Governing Council.
“Pro-Chancellor Sir, there are two main issues that the wrong and peverse appointment of Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi cannot override, as it is not only an affront, but a clear violation of our laws. The first, is that Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi has just served within the last one year as Acting Vice-Chancellor, for about 4 months. Therefore, her being in the list of recommended persons (number two on the list), her appearance at the interview and subsequent appointment are very inconsistent with the express provisions of the law, and therefore, null and void.
I” am therefore minded to bring to your esteemed attention, the Ministry of Education and the general public, that Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi was appointed on the 20th day of July, 2024 as Acting Vice-Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, by the Amb. Greg Mbadiwe 10th Governing Council. She acted in that capacity for almost 4 months, before her exit, following the illegal appointment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor, which the Federal Government, thankfully, quickly reversed.
“Pro-Chancellor Sir, it is settled law, that the position of Acting Vice-Chancellor cannot be extended, elongated, or renewed under any guise or circumstance. As a seasoned legal practitioner Sir, you may wish to take a second look at the provisions of Section 5(14) of the Universities (Amendment) Act1993 (amended 2003 and 2012) which provides “AN ACTING VICE-CHANCELLOR IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL NOT BE IN OFFICE FOR MORE THAN 6 MONTHS” emphasis mine. The new and second appointment of Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi is wrong ab initio, and therefore cannot stand, except we say that this is a season of anomie in our beloved university.
“The second, very fundamental reason why Prof. Arinze-Umobi’s appointment should not be allowed to stand, is trite, a central principle of Public Service, that a person disqualified from holding a substantive position is, by that very fact, not qualified to act in that position. Thus, if a person lacks the requirements to hold a position, such a person cannot legally or ethically, act in that role. This fundamental principle of public service finds expression in Section 11(3) of the Interpretation (Amendment) Act, 2019 which provides that the power to be appointed into an Acting Position “shallonly be exercised if the person who sought to be appointed is qualified to hold the substantive position.”
“In the present scheme of things, as far as regulations for the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor are concerned, a person above 64 years is disqualified from being appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of any Nigerian Federal University. The Federal Ministry of Education Guidelines/Handbook for the Ministry’s Representatives on the Governing Councils of Federal Tertiary Institutions (2023), specifically at page 14, require that the candidate for the position of4 a Vice-Chancellor, must not be more than 64 years of age.
“The Federal Ministry of Education Guidelines for Appointment of Vice-Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts (Nov., 2013) also require that the candidate for the post of Vice-Chancellor must not be more than 64 years of age.
“If the regulations for the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor disqualify a person who is above 64 years of age, it then becomes very suspicious why the illegal criteria of over 65 years and female were included as compulsory requirements. Our respected Pro-Chancellor and Chairman Sir, it would appear from the Council’s criteria, that the entire university was excluded for her to emerge, as there are other former DVCs under 64 years of age. Chairman Sir, as I noted earlier, the released criteria sent to Senate, were just to serve one purpose, send Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi’s name to Council for confirmation, inspite of the obvious irregularities.
“The appointment of Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi as Acting Vice-Chancellor for the second time as you have just done, is a clear affront on our laws, and on the conscience collective and sensibilities of Nnamdi Azikiwe University with over 400 Professors, many of whom are eminently qualified for that role. The appointment is not right, wrong headed, ill conceived and certainly misdirected, indeed a deja vu of the ugly experience of the university under the Greg Mbadiwe 10th Governing Council, until we were rescued by the Hon. Minister of Education as approved by the President. Sir, to not correct this obvious anomaly will send very wrong signals and put our university on the path of perdition and further damage, perhaps irretrievably, the image and reputation of Nnamdi Azikiwe University as a university of “anything goes”. We should not forget Sir, the year 2024 in a hurry.
“Pro-Chancellor Sir, I have been in this university for 36 years, since 1989, when I started as an Assistant Lecturer at the age of 26. I am a Professor of more than 17 years, and over the years, have held several administrative and academic positions including, but not limited to: Head of Department (two-terms), Sub-Dean of Faculty, Dean of Student Affairs, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences; Director, Continuing Education Program; Two-term Member of Governing Council, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (2009 – 2013 & 2017 – 2021) Representing Congregation; Director, UNIZIK Business School; currently Pro-Chancellor & Chairman of Governing Council, Peter University, Achina/Onneh and the Director, Emeka Anyaoku Institute for International Studies and Diplomacy, which the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria just commissioned. Everywhere I have been, I have changed the narrative, transforming the unit, institute or school in record time. I not only have institutional memory, but have demonstrated over the years to the acclaim of the university community, character, competence, capacity and integrity in all areas of university governance. Mr. Pro-Chancellor Sir, please note that I have nothing personal against my colleague and friend, Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi, herself a good administrator and erudite Professor of Law, but I am opposed to her appointment, as it is flawed, wrong and patently so. It should be reversed.
“In conclusion Sir, and with the information herein above provided, I trust the Council and the Ministry of Education to act right, in accordance with the law, and in good conscience, as I DO NOT INTEND TO GO TO COURT. Let the right thing be done and allow my overwhelming Senate selection to stand.”
