UNIZIK Medical Professors Stage Protest Amid Controversial VC Search Criteria

In a heated senate meeting at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State, medical professors raised their voices in protest against contentious criteria set for the Vice-Chancellor position.

The meeting, aimed at electing senate representatives for the VC search team, ended in a stalemate, with many attributing the deadlock to what they described as Pro-Chancellor Greg Mbadiwe’s “Bullying” tactics.

The assembly of senate representatives delivered a scathing report on the Pro-Chancellor’s conduct during a recent governing council meeting, claiming that their attempts to engage him in constructive dialogue fell on deaf ears.

They criticized Mbadiwe for being insensitive to the needs of the university and unsuitable for his role, echoing concerns that have grown since his council took office.

Compounding the frustration, senate members overwhelmingly rejected the advertisement for the Vice-Chancellor position, which stipulates that candidates must have attracted a N400 million grant to the university.

They denounced this as a “Cash-and-Carry” approach that undermines the institution’s academic integrity. Moreover, the requirement insisting that only candidates holding a PhD could apply was heavily criticized, with suggestions made that equivalent qualifications such as medical fellowships should also be considered essential.

Concerns were also raised about the stipulation that candidates must possess 15 years of post-PhD experience. Members questioned the rationale for favoring candidates without substantial administrative backgrounds, such as experience as department heads or deans.

As tensions rise, the senate has called upon President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to dissolve the governing council, framing it as a necessary measure to safeguard the university’s future.

“We cannot continue to operate under this oppressive regime,” one senate member remarked, warning that the Pro-Chancellor’s actions could jeopardize the institution’s autonomy and academic excellence.

In a united front, the senate resolved to withhold cooperation from the current governing council and has requested an extension of the incumbent Acting Vice Chancellor Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi’s tenure until a new governing council can be appointed.

In a show of solidarity, various groups within the university community staged protests, brandishing placards with slogans like “Dissolve Mbadiwe’s Council,” “Save UNIZIK,” and “Academic Excellence, Not Cash-and-Carry.” The unrest has ignited fears regarding the university’s trajectory and its broader impact on the academic sphere.

As stakeholders await President Tinubu’s response to the senate’s urgent plea, Professor Berthran Obi-Nwosu from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology voiced strong objections to the exclusion of clinical professors from the Vice-Chancellor candidacy.

He emphasized the need for criteria that accurately reflect the qualifications of clinical academics, calling the current stipulations “Obnoxious.”

Obi-Nwosu stated, “We strive for a cancellation of this advert and a new one that acknowledges clinical professors’ qualifications. Segregating during the election process is unacceptable, as it disregards the established standards of our institution.

“We have protested, the Acting VC is the first person that received our protest letter. The first VC, of Unizik, Prof Nwakor Festus now dead, was a fellow. The immediate past VC of UNN, was a fellow. So what I am trying to say is that all these things are standard. In University of Ibadan which is one of the highest universities in the country, they do not go into what degree you have before you become a professor.”

Professor Obi-Nwosu further hailed the Acting VC for giving them a listening ear.

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has similarly condemned what it sees as a deliberate effort to exclude its members from the VC candidacy. Following an emergency general meeting, MDCAN issued a communiqué demanding the retraction of the advertisement, warning that failure to comply within seven days could lead to a total shutdown of medical education at the university.

The crisis at UNIZIK signals a pivotal moment for the institution as it grapples with internal discord and external scrutiny. With the situation evolving, all eyes are on the university’s leadership and the potential implications for its future.