By IKENNA SAMUELSON IWUOHA

There is an impending crisis ticking like a time bomb at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Imo State, as members of the Governing Council, arrived early this week to commence the process of selecting a new vice-chancellor for the first generation of the university of technology.

The council began its statutory meeting on Monday, December 7, 2020, to approve the criteria for eligibility to contest the position of Vice-Chancellors for subsequent advertisement in newspapers and magazines, including social and electronic media.

However, the information going around is that there is a clandestine design and scheme to lower the standard of the criteria to accommodate persons who are not qualified, by virtue of years of professorship as cognate experience.

There is high tension and anger in FUTO, as staff have vowed to resist the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, in his alleged clandestine scheme, and warned that the crisis at University of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife will be a child's play if transparency and due process are not followed.

The University, over the past 15 years, like other contemporary second and third generation universities had always pegged the years of professional experience at 10 years, for the purpose of ensuring that an experienced, well-versed, reputable and respected professor who will be able to command the respect and loyalty of his colleagues mount the saddle, to navigate and lead the University.

Universities are centres of research and learning and, therefore, need the serenity, peace and order to carry out this very important role. However, where junior and, indeed, less qualified and respected professors are manipulated and imposed on the system, there is obvious tendency that rebellion, rancour and, finally, crisis will erupt and abort the intended role and purpose of the university to the larger society and the nation. This is why this process must be according to the rule of engagement and acceptable best practices.

Unfortunately, rumours making the rounds are that the number of years is to be slashed to between seven and nine years, to accommodate some professors from a particular senatorial zone, who ordinarily are less-qualified, in every aspect and capacity, because of regrettable reasons.

From available information, accusing fingers are being pointed to the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nwajiuba, who has been reportedly destabilising the education sector of this nation through his clandestine conducts and activities. Those angry with him posit that he has a natural inclination to controversies.

References are made to his ignoble and inglorious role in the prolonged ASUU strike and his recent role in the crisis that rocked the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), over the selection of senatorial candidate for the Okigwe Zone rerun, which held on Saturday, December 5, 2020, where he was openly supporting a “candidate” who could not produce his degree certificate to prove that he graduated from the then Imo State University, Okigwe.

The scandal and ignominy in the whole sad commentary is that a supposed Minister of State for Education, who should champion good and honourable conduct is supporting this disgraceful phenomenon. Yes, it is true Mr. Nwajiuba was accused of influencing the appointment of his elder brother, Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba to become the Vice-Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Alaike in Ebony State.

Again, he is currently manipulating the process to influence who is going to take over from his elder brother as the next Vice-Chancellor of the University.

Emeka Nwajiuba has been reportedly accused of clandestine plan to manipulate the processes of appointment of Vice-Chancellors of federal universities in the South-East, with the intention of being overlord in these universities and control the TETFUND contracts in those institutions. Also, because of his reported governorship ambition in Imo State, Emeka Nwajiuba is clandestinely planting vice-chancellors in federal universities in the South-east, for the sole purpose of later using them to recruit returning officers who would do his bidding during the 2023/24 governorship and other elections.

The Minister is known to be inclined to controversies and meddlesomeness. He has a proclivity to subtly orchestrate dubious processes of achieving his selfish schemes. The news is that he is plotting to impose any of the three less-experienced, non-salutary and over-ambitious cronies from his Imo North Senatorial Zone, who hail from Ihitte/Uboma, Ehime Mbano and Okigwe local government areas.

The fury and anger in the university is so intense because workers in the institution have been subjected to anxious moments, due to mismanagement and devaluation of leadership in the university and degraded nature of the school. Consequently, several groups are gearing up for a showdown that the only way out is for the Governing Council (Board) to save the university and themselves from this impending disaster.

Nigerians are not happy that most universities in the country are not globally ranked, and this has been primarily attributed to the poor quality of university administration occasioned by in-experienced, non-charismatic and inefficient vice-chancellors, who are sponsored and pushed into positions by their predecessors and godfathers, to cover their tracks and mismanage university funds.

The error in most universities in Nigeria is that outgoing vice-chancellors collude with some pro-chancellors to impose their candidates to succeed them and continue the mismanagement of university resources. This was why in the election of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, the winner, Prof Babatunde Ekanola, defeated other contestants while the last three were former deputy vice-chancellors, who scored 13, 15 and 16 votes respectively. It is obvious that outgoing Vice-Chancellors sponsor those they appointed into positions, and who are perpetually loyal to them to continue their nefarious recklessness, and disgraceful actions.

Most Vice-Chancellors in Nigeria are the major problems of the University system, especially when they collude with corrupt pro-chancellors and chairmen of governing councils, under the tacit support of people like the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba.

A stitch in time will therefore, save nine. The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, should please call his deputy, Mr. Nwajiuba, to order, so as to avoid embarrassment to his ministry. It is obvious that the schedule of the minister of state for education does not include universities.

Conclusively, the Honorable Minister of Education should watch and monitor the inglorious roles of his junior minister, and save this government from disrespect and blame.

•Citizen Iwuoha, FCAI, writes from Owerri.

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