By Our correspondent
Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State has been embroiled in a deepening crisis following a contentious senate meeting aimed at electing representatives of senate in the search team for a vice chancellor and interview panel for Registrar.
The meeting, held on Wednesday, ended in a logjam, with participants squarely blaming Pro-Chancellor Greg Mbadiwe’s “bullying” stance for the impasse.
The four senate representatives on the Governing council gave a damning report on the Prochancellor attitude during a recently held governing council meeting.
They complained that all attempts to convince the Prochancellor to toe a line of reason failed.
The four senate representatives were unanimous in describing the Prochancellor as insensitive and therefore unsuitable for the university environment.
Senate members unanimously condemned the advertisement for the Vice Chancellor position, which requires candidates to have attracted a N400 million grant to the university.
They described this condition as “cash-and-carry” and detrimental to the institution’s academic integrity.
The senate queried the requirement for only a PhD, suggesting that equivalent qualifications, such as medical fellowships, should also be considered.
They also criticized the condition that candidates must have 15 years of post PhD experience before they would be qualified to be VC.
The members also queried why the Pro-chancellor will advocate for a Vice Chancellor who had not previously held administrative positions as head of department or dean of faculty.
The university community has been tense since Mbadiwe’s governing council took office.
The senate’s call for President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to dissolve the council is seen as a last resort to prevent catastrophic consequences.
“We cannot continue to operate under this oppressive regime,” said a senate member. “The Pro-Chancellor’s actions are undermining the university’s autonomy and academic excellence.”
The senate vowed not to cooperate with the current governing council, calling for the extension of incumbent Acting Vice Chancellor Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi’s tenure until a new governing council is established.
Various groups within the university community staged a protest, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Dissolve Mbadiwe’s Council,” “Save UNIZIK,” and “Academic Excellence, Not Cash-and-Carry.”
The crisis at UNIZIK has sparked concerns about the future of the institution and its impact on the academic community.
As the situation continues to unfold, stakeholders await President Tinubu’s response to the senate’s call for intervention.
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