A new Vice Chancellor shall soon be named for Abia State University, Uturu following the shortlisting of 3 candidates for the plum job.
Those who made the list, as submitted by the school’s Governing Council, were the best three of the lot of candidates who indicated in the job.
Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, is expected to select and ratify one of them as substantive Vice Chancellor.
The tenure of the present Vice Chancellor, Prof. E .U Ikonne, expires on the 30th of November, 2020.
Submitting the report of the University Governing Council on the selection of new VC of ABSU to the Governor at the Government House, Umuahia, the Pro Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, Senator Adolf Wabara, gave the names of the three successful nominees as Prof O. M. Ogbulu, a Professor of Finance and current Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University; Professor Martins U. Nwankwo, Professor of History and International Relations of the Imo State University; and Professor Iheanyichukwu Elekwa, a two-time Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, of the University and Professor of Bio-Chemistry. According to Wabara, the list was submitted in the order of merit.
Sen. Wabara explained that the extant laws provide that the Joint Council and Senate Selection Board screens and submits candidates which will be ratified by the University Governing Council and forwarded to the Governor to choose from as the substantive Vice Chancellor.
In a breakdown of the contestants, Wabara disclosed that the Council recieved a total of 21 applications comprising 11 external Professors and 10 Professors currently serving in the school.
He urged the Governor to look at the report and play his statutory role of choosing one of the three and pronouncing him as the next Vice Chancellor of the University.
Senator Wabara thanked the Governor for the bailout of 400million Naira to the University which has been judiciously utilized. He thanked the Governor for his benevolence and fatherly disposition to the University which has taken the institution to higher heights and commended the outgoing VC for his monumental achievement which led to improvement in the ranking of the University.
Earlier, the outgoing Vice Chancellor of the Abia State University, Professor Uche Ikonne, thanked the Governor for his consistent support to the University which has pushed the ranking of the University from No. 96 in the country to Number 26 currently and the second best State University in Nigeria. He particularly thanked the Governor for supporting the University to successfully establish the Faculty of Engineering at Aba which he said is ready for full take off.
Recieving the report, Governor Ikpeazu thanked the Governing Council for a job well done and promised to do the needful to ensure that there is no vacuum in the institution. He said he has absolute faith in their judgement and congratulated Prof. Ikonne for achieving the milestone.
He assured of same level of support for that the incoming administration even as he promised to support the University and provide more funds to resolve financial issues.
He appealed to the staff to return to school and continue to teach and directed that the sum of 100million Naira recently approved and sent to the University was for the purpose to offsetting the 30,000 Naira he promised to each Abia student and which will be deducted from their school fees.
Secretary to Government, Barrister Chris Ezem, Commissioner for Education, Dr. Kck Nwangwa and other top officials of the State Government were present at the event.
