Intervene in Ojukwu University crisis group tells Gov. Obiano

A group, Good Governance and Grassroots Builders Initiatives, GGGBI, has called on Governor Willie Obiano to quickly intervene in the battle for supremacy going on between the ASUU chapter of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, formerly Anambra State University, Uli and the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Fidelis Okafor.

The group led by its president, Mazi Okwudirichiukwu Okwuchiukwu and the Secretary, Mazi Chidi Orjika, regretted that Gov Obiano’s dream of making the university world class was being frustrated by the crisis as the council he appointed since September 2015 had not been allowed to work.

GGGBI described as shameful the recent physical battle between the local branch of ASUU and the Vice-Chancellor’s men over election into the university’s Governing Council, where the local branch of the ASUU tried to stop the election following disagreement on the legality of those qualified to constitute the voters’ list.

They chided the VC for severally ignoring Gov Obiano’s directive to conduct fresh election into the Council, in order to stem the on-going crisis, saying that he is riding on the back of his relationship with former governor Peter Obi to spite Obiano’s directive.



The group alleged that there is a desperate bid by the vice-Chancellor to extend his tenure by another five years up to 2019 following change of name of the university by Peter Obi, an action that did not go down well with the ASUU.



The group further alleged that the VC ensured that almost 80 per cent of his loyalists were appointed into the Senate, while the principal officers were on acting basis in order to maintain his stranglehold on the school.



Giving details, they explained that Gov. Obiano had directed the VC to conduct election into the Governing Council, due to the insistence of Internal Members of the Council elected in 2012 to continue to be part of the Senate along side five members appointed by Gov. Obiano as they had not completed their two year tenure.



While the VC wanted contract staff who had exhausted their contract period and the students to form part of the voters list, the local branch of the ASUU thought otherwise, arguing that the students were not qualified to be in the university Senate that oversees academic matters including their exams, curriculum, results among others, and certainly cannot sit in Council that makes overall policy and supervises even the Senate.



The ASUU members also insisted that the contract staff who had exhausted the maximum period of three years allowed by law were illegal staff of the university and therefore did not qualify to vote in the elections into Council from Congregation and Senate.