The Federal University Gusau, located in Zamfara State, has officially distanced itself from Bernard Ifeanyi Odoh, the recently dismissed Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) Awka, Anambra State, claiming he has never held a professorship at the institution.
In a press briefing on Thursday evening in Gusau, Professor Muazu Abubakar, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Gusau, firmly stated that Dr. Odoh had never been employed by the university nor appointed as a professor.
He specifically denounced the letters of appointment and promotion to the rank of professor, dated April 30, 2015, and November 12, 2015, which Odoh had been circulating. According to Professor Abubakar, these documents were fraudulent and the product of an administrative scam involving Dr. Odoh, the former Vice Chancellor, and the former Registrar of the university.
“Following widespread inquiries about Dr. Odoh’s purported status as a tenured professor in the Department of Geology, the university is compelled to clarify the situation,” Professor Abubakar said.
“Dr. Odoh never submitted an acceptance letter, did not complete the necessary documentation, and, although he was briefly listed as a visiting linkage staff from July 2014 to August 2015, he neither assumed any teaching responsibilities nor contributed to the department’s academic activities.”
The Vice Chancellor emphasized that Dr. Odoh’s claim to a professor appointment was a “sham,” highlighting the forged nature of the documents, which were certified as “true copies” by Ibrahim Bawa Kaura, the former Registrar, six years after his departure from the university.
Professor Abubakar condemned the fraudulent actions of those involved, stating, “There is no official record confirming Dr. Odoh’s employment, and the whole affair was orchestrated by the former Vice Chancellor and Registrar, bypassing all established rules and procedures.”
He also pointed out the role of the former Registrar in impersonating the current registrar and illegally certifying the fake documents with a counterfeit stamp. “This desperate attempt to perpetuate illegality was further evidenced by the actions of the former Registrar, who procured a fake stamp to endorse the fraudulent documents,” he added.
The management of Federal University Gusau reiterated that Dr. Odoh had never been a tenured staff member of the institution, let alone confirmed as a professor. “Any claims to the contrary are nothing more than the actions of an individual desperate to gain legitimacy for personal ambitions, including his recent bid to become Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka,” Professor Abubakar concluded.
The controversy surrounding Dr. Odoh comes on the heels of a significant development on Wednesday, when President Bola Tinubu approved the dissolution of the Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and the removal of Dr. Bernard Ifeanyi Odoh as Vice Chancellor, alongside Mrs. Rosemary Ifoema Nwokike, the Registrar.
This decision followed reports that the university’s governing council had appointed an unqualified vice chancellor in violation of due process, a move that led to the sacking of the officials involved.
