By Mmaduabuchi Onwumelu
As a way of showing appreciation for his reinstatement, which, he described as Divine, the Acting Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof Joseph Ikechebelu, has vowed to pursue vigorously, the Renewed Hope Agenda of Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Addressing newsmen in his office domiciled in the University, during his maiden press conference, Professor Ikechebelu said his immediate task as acting Vice-Chancellor would be to douse the tension arising from what he described as opprobrious malfeasance and return the University to normalcy, with a mind frame that the entire saga had ended with no victor, no vanquished.
‘I therefore, solicit the cooperation of all concerned, to enthrone in the University, an ambient environment that would be conducive to a hitch-free, rancour-free appointment of a Vice-Chancellor and a Registrar by the incoming Governing Council.
While I act as Vice-Chancellor, I shall continue with the vision which I had adopted during my earlier stint as Acting Vice-Chancellor, to: Beautify UNIZIK; Light up UNIZIK; make UNIZIK Excellent;Â Digitalize UNIZIK; and Secure MINK, otherwise known as BLESSE.
‘We thank the President, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His Excellency’s intervention has shown that he has a listening ear, is a stickler for due diligence and is committed to his Renewed Hope Agenda which has indeed renewed our hope in Nnamdi Azikiwe University that there will be respect of the University Act and due process.
‘We salute the Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa. Before his re-deployment to the Ministry of Education, the imbroglio in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, regarding the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar, had been festering for some time, apparently unattended to.
On assumption of office, he took prompt, positive action to address the challenge. We must not forget the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, who was also instrumental in resolving the impasse.
‘The Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Mr. Chris Jibreel Maiyaki, the Body that directly supervises Nigerian Universities, also played his expected role. Nnamdi Azikiwe University cannot thank them well enough for rescuing us from this debacle.
‘It’s only God the maker of Heaven and earth who did this. I am humbled.
‘We give God all the glory and massively thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Hon Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa, for the decisive intervention.
‘We appreciate the efforts of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nnamdi Azikiwe University Chapter and its National Executive Committee, as well as the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), for the dogged fight that succeeded in arresting this ugly situation.
‘It is against the foregoing that the untoward actions taken by the now dissolved Governing Council of the University in the process of appointing a Vice-Chancellor and a Registrar for the University must be seen as shocking and most regrettable; a brazen disregard of the University Act and known processes for such appointments in the Nigerian University System.
‘Had this disingenuous action succeeded, it would have set a dangerous precedent in the Nigerian University System and this University would have been bastardized by further acts of impunity, God bless Nigeria,’ he concluded.
