The Federal Government, officially confirmed the appointment of Professor Lucian Chukwu as the substantive Vice Chancellor of Admiralty University, Ibuzor, Delta State.
Chukwu, a Professor of Marine Biology and the current Deputy Vice Chancellor for Management Services at the University of Lagos, was appointed following a formal announcement on Saturday.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, confirmed Chukwu’s appointment in a statement released by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo.
According to the Minister, Chukwu emerged as the new Vice Chancellor with an impressive score of 83.41 percent.
This announcement follows confusion within the university community triggered by a prior statement from the institution’s Registrar, Isaac Mankilik, who on Friday declared Professor Christopher Ogbogbo as the new Vice Chancellor.
Ogbogbo, a Professor of African History at the University of Ibadan, was said to have secured nine out of 15 votes in a vote by the university’s Governing Council.
However, the Chairman of the Governing Council, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba (retd.), quickly dismissed Mankilik’s announcement as “illegal,” asserting that the Registrar lacked the authority to make such a declaration.
“What authority does he (Mankilik) have to announce the appointment of the Vice Chancellor? Does his authority override that of the Federal Government?” Ezeoba asked.
“His announcement is illegal; only the Chairman of the Governing Council can make such an announcement.
The Minister’s statement confirms the appointment of Professor Lucian Chukwu as the substantive Vice Chancellor,” Ezeoba added.
The controversy stems from the selection process, which had been overseen by KPMG, a globally recognized consulting firm, to ensure transparency and professionalism.
A report by KPMG, seen by “Sunday PUNCH”, revealed that Chukwu scored 83.41 percent, while Ogbogbo received 72.5 percent.
This report showed the scores of the top five candidates in the selection process.
An anonymous source within the university shared that some members of the council resisted the decision to announce Chukwu as the top candidate, even after it was clear he had emerged as the highest scorer.
“When the Chairman, Vice Admiral Ezeoba, instructed the council to declare Prof. Chukwu as the winner, some council members insisted on backing the second-place candidate, Prof. Ogbogbo, abandoning merit in favor of their preferred choice,” the source said.
“This led to a chaotic meeting, where a faction of the council convened a disputed meeting and declared Ogbogbo as the Vice Chancellor-designate without the knowledge of the council chairman,” the source continued.
Despite this internal dispute, Minister Alausa emphasized that the Federal Government’s decision to appoint Chukwu aligned with the principles of merit and transparency.
The appointment, effective from February 28, 2025, is for a single tenure of five years.
At the time of reporting, “Sunday PUNCH” learned that the official appointment letter for Chukwu had yet to be issued by the Federal Government.
Attempts to reach Professor Chukwu for comment were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to phone calls or messages.
