Bernard Odoh has broken silence following his dismissal as vice-chancellor at Anambra State’s Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (NAU).
Recall that President Bola Tinubu fired Mr. Odoh as vice-chancellor of the institution on Wednesday
The university’s Governing Council was also disbanded by Tinubu for “illegally” selecting “an unqualified vice-chancellor without following due process.”
The announcement was made in a statement on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Mr. Tinubu’s special adviser on information and strategy.
Mr Odoh argued that the ministry has no power to sack him as vice-chancellor of the university. He claimed that the ministry was engaging in an alleged usurpation of powers, given that only President Tinubu has the power to sack him or dissolve the Governing Council.
Popularly referred to as UNIZIK, Nnamdi Azikiwe University is a federal institution located in the state’s southeast.
On October 29, Professor Mr. Odoh was elected as the university’s seventh substantive vice-chancellor.
But later, his appointment, hiring procedures, and academic background became the focus of disputes that infuriated the federal government and academic associations.
In addition to Mr. Onanuga, the director of the Federal Ministry of Education’s press and public relations division, Boriowo Folasade, made the announcement in a separate statement on Wednesday that the vice-chancellor had been fired and that the institution’s Governing Council had been dissolved.
