The Federal University Gusau in Zamfara State has disowned the sacked Vice Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Bernard Ifeanyi Odoh, saying that he has never worked as a professor in the University.
Addressing newsmen on Thursday evening in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Muazu Abubakar said, Odoh was neither employed by the University nor appointed as a professor.
According to him, the so-called letters of offer of tenure of appointment as a professor and confirmation of promotion to the post of professor, dated 30th April 2015 and 12th November 2015, being paraded by Odoh were products of administrative fraud.
He said the so-called letters and offer of appointments purported to be certified true copies hurriedly endorsed by the former Registrar of the university, Ibrahim Bawa Kaura, dated November 8, 2024, six solid years after he left the services of the university were products of administrative fraud orchestrated by Odoh, working in cahoots with the former Vice Chancellor of the University and the Registrar.
“Arising from the spurious claim, the Federal University Gusau, has been inundated with enquiries about the true status of Dr. Odoh Bernard Ifeanyi regarding his appointment as a tenured Professor in the Department of Geology, grant of leave of absence and confirmation of appointment as a substantive professor by the Governing Council of the University.
“In the case of Dr. Odoh Bernard Ifeanyi, the University notes as follows: That he did not submit any letter of acceptance of offer of appointment, that he did not undergo the statutory documentation, that even though Dr. Odoh was engaged as a visiting linkage staff in the Department of Geology of the University, and dubiously enrolled into the institution’s payroll from July 2014 to August 2015, he neither assumed duty nor taught any course since the inception of the Department in the 2014/2015 academic session.
“The so-called letters of offer of tenure of appointment as Professor and confirmation of promotion to the post of Professor, dated 30th April 2015 and 12th November 2015, being paraded by Dr. Odoh Bernard Ifeanyi and purported to be certified true copies hurriedly endorsed by Ibrahim Bawa Kaura, former Registrar of the Federal University, dated November 8, 2024, six solid years after the latter left the services of the Federal University Gusau, are products of administrative fraud orchestrated by Dr. Odoh, working in cahoots with the former Vice Chancellor of the University and the Registrar.”
Professor Abubakar said that everything about Dr. Odoh’s purported offer of appointment as tenure staff and confirmation of promotion as professor was shoddy, fraudulent, utterly devoid of due process and smacks of illegality.
He stressed that there is no evidence of official documentation with regards to his controversial employment as a staff of the Federal University Gusau.
“The whole charade was packaged and executed by the former Vice Chancellor and the former Registrar, without recourse to extant rules and due process for reasons not known to law and common sense.
“Further proof of the desperation to perpetuate such illegality is the impersonation and usurpation of the duties of the current Registrar of the University by the former Registrar, Ibrahim Bawa Kaura, who procured a fake stamp to certify Dr. Odoh’s equally fake documents as true copies on November 8, 2024, six years after his disengagement from the University.
“The Management of the Federal University Gusau, wishes to state in unequivocal terms that from available records, Dr. Odoh Bernard Ifeanyi is not and has never been a tenure staff of the University, let alone being confirmed as a professor by the institution.
“Whatever claim to the contrary by Dr. Odoh is nothing but the antics of a drowning man who is hell-bent on using the good name of the Federal University Gusau, to give vent to his desperate ambition to become the Vice Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, through subterfuge,”Professor Abubakar concluded.
On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu approved the dissolution of the Governing Council of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Anambra State, and the removal of Prof. Bernard Ifeanyi Odoh, the new Vice Chancellor, and Mrs. Rosemary Ifoema Nwokike, the registrar.
According to a statement signed by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday, the sacking of the governing council and officials followed reports that the council illegally appointed an unqualified vice-chancellor without following due process.
