My Removal Did Not Follow Due Process – Sacked UNIZIK VC

 

The sacked Vice-Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Prof. Bernard Odoh, on Thursday, expressed his dissatisfaction with the way he was removed from office, arguing that his dismissal did not follow due process.

His concerns came after he was sacked along with the university’s governing council over what was deemed an “illegal” appointment.

A statement released on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, indicated that the Federal Government intervened to resolve mounting tensions at the university.

It accused the governing council of appointing an unqualified vice-chancellor without adhering to the required legal procedures.

However, in an interview with Arise TV, Odoh rejected the notion that he could be removed via a press release., arguing that only the governing council had the authority to recommend his removal after a thorough investigation, not through a unilateral statement from the president.

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He said, “I’m not disobeying Mr President, but it is the governing council that will recommend my sack after investigating me,” adding that “Mr President could have been ill-advised.”

“You can’t fire somebody you didn’t employ. The Visitor (Tinubu) appointed the council and the council followed due process to engage and give me a letter. He can’t remove me through a press release.”

Odoh clarified that his appointment as Vice-Chancellor was made through proper channels, with the Visitor (President Tinubu) appointing the governing council that, in turn, engaged him following due process.

He criticized the lack of an inquiry panel into his removal, adding, “There was no panel of inquiry. I was not appointed through a press release but rather by a constituted authority which followed a straightforward procedure.”

On the issue of his professorship, Odoh refuted claims questioning his academic qualifications, explaining that when doubts were raised, the then-Registrar took his credentials to the Sokoto State High Court for validation.

“What some people did was to pay somebody to remove my records from the university. The VC who appointed me still teaches at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and he wrote my reference letter,” he said.

Regarding the premature intervention by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, Odoh pointed out that several legal cases related to his appointment were still pending in court, and the ministry had acted too soon without the court’s ruling.

“The court hasn’t ruled on this matter. So, I don’t see a basis for all of this noise,” he remarked.

Odoh further alleged that his removal had been influenced by ethnic bias, asserting that as a native of Ebonyi State, which is often regarded as a “third-class” region, there were those who were determined to have him removed.

“I’m from Ebonyi State. We are regarded as third-class people. People feel I’m not qualified because I come from Ebonyi State. People have ganged up to remove me at all costs. The Federal Ministry of Education is introducing a crisis on campus. I am an alumnus of this university. It pains me that the university is being destroyed,” Odoh said.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had earlier criticized the university’s governing council for allegedly failing to follow due process in Odoh’s appointment and also demanded the dissolution of the council, accusing them of engaging in illegal practices.