By Njoku Esther
Serious dust is currently trailing the recent appointment of two top management staff of Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University, KOMU, Ideato in Imo State, by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Frances Ngozi Chukwukere.
The new appointees are Dr. Anthony Nwadiubu, who was appointed as Deputy Vice-Chancellor, DVC, and Mr Uchechukwu Okoro, who was named as Registrar of the university.They duo have taken over from the former DVC, Prof Jude Ogbulie, and the former Registrar, Dr Rejoice Adioha.
It was gathered that the appointments have generated widespread controversy within the university community, with stakeholders alleging that the removal of former officers were vindictive and that due process was not followed inline with the National Universities Commission, NUC, guidelines. lt was gathered that under the Universities Miscellaneous Provisions Act, the NUC sets baseline standards for the appointment of principal officers in Nigerian universities.
For the office of Deputy Vice-Chancellor, the guideline requires that a candidate must be a senior academic who has attained the rank of full Professor in a recognized university. Such candidates must possess a PhD or equivalent terminal degree, with a strong record of scholarly publications in reputable national and international journals, evidence of teaching and research excellence, and must have served in key administrative positions such as Dean of Faculty, Provost, Director or Head of Department. The person must also be a credible and active member of the Senate with high moral standing.
Our correspondent gathered that Dr. Anthony Nwadiubu, appointed as Acting DVC, is not a confirmed Professor, a development they claim falls short of NUC requirements for the office.
For the office of Registrar, reports have it that NUC standards require a good honours degree, preferably in Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences or Management, with a valid NYSC discharge or exemption certificate and preferably a Masters or PhD.The candidate must have at least 15 to 18 years cognate administrative experience in the tertiary system and must have spent a minimum of 3 to 5 years at the rank of Deputy Registrar on CONTISS 14. Membership of professional bodies such as ANUPA, NIM or CIPM and proven ICT competence are also mandatory.
It is alleged that the new Registrar, Mr Uchechukwu Okoro, is currently far below the CONTISS 14 Grade level mandatorily required for the position and has not been a Deputy Registrar.
University insiders described the appointments as a clear case of elevation of unqualified staff into sensitive principal offices, warning that it could undermine academic standards and damage the credibility and rating of the institution.
As at press time, efforts to get official reaction from the Vice-Chancellor and the management of KOMU on the allegations were not successful as no contact was available.
Stakeholders are calling on the Governing Council of KOMU, the National Universities Commission and the Imo State Government to urgently intervene and ensure that due process and NUC guidelines are strictly complied with in the interest of institutional integrity and academic standards.
