FULL LIST OF UNN VICE CHANCELLORSHIP ASPIRANTS

Prof. Emma Ezeani of the institution’s Department of Political Science; Prof. Emma Ezugwu of the Nigeria Air Force Institute; Prof. Charles Asadu, of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University; Prof. Ikenna Omeje, a Professor of Agriculture at Delta State University; Prof. Denchris Onah, the former Dean of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Prof. Malachy Okwueze, the immediate past Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Administration of UNN; Prof. Polycarp Chigbu, the incumbent Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and former Dean of School of Postgraduate Studies of the institution, and Prof. Grace Offorma, the only female contender and former member of the university’s Governing Council. The candidates are to be screened by a five-man interview panel headed by the Chairman of the Governing Council of respective university. At UNN, where the tradition has been for the institution’s branch of the university teachers’ umbrella union, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to be visibly involved in the selection process, the situation is quite different this time around. The UNN committee is chaired by Mr. Emmanuel Okula, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Chairman of the institution’s Governing Council, while that of UNIZIK is Air Vice Marshal Larry Koinyan (rtd). Worried by the myriad of problems confronting the universities which is stagnating their development, members of UNN community pointed out that the welfare of academic and non-academic members of staff should be the priority of the next Vice-Chancellor if he is to enjoy the support of the workers and for the university to record appreciable development. However, the Secretary of one of the departments explained that the current administration had failed to take the issue of welfare of staff into consideration, saying the university needs a Vice-Chancellor who will accord the workers due recognition they deserve in the scheme of the university development. He listed some of the challenges as non-promotion of workers, adequate infrastructure for academic activities, adding that the issue of lack of functional laboratories and dearth of funds for departments which are field-based should be tackled by the new Vice-Chancellor. He alleged that lack of funds for the running of the departments has resulted to students in Archeology, Geography and Geology Departments contributing money for their field trips. A student in the Faculty of Social Sciences expressed dismay over the abandoned dilapidated Zik Flat Hostels, saying the in-coming Vice-Chancellor should make the rehabilitation of the hostels a priority project of his administration. Source: Nation Newspaper