Sacked UNIZIK VC sues university for disowning his professorship

The sacked Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (NAU), Bernard Odoh, has filed a lawsuit against the management of Federal University, Gusau (FUGUS) for disowning his professorial appointment and employment status in the university.

Mr Odoh, a disputed professor, was sacked as vice-chancellor of the NAU, popularly known as UNIZIK, about three weeks after his appointment.

He was removed as vice-chancellor after his appointment, recruitment processes and academic profile became subjects of controversies.

How it began

Before his sack as UNIZIK vice-chancellor, Mr Odoh had repeatedly claimed that he was appointed as visiting professor at FUGUS in 2014, but was later promoted to the rank of full professor of applied geophysics at the institution in 2015.

After his claims were challenged by the UNIZIK’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the sacked vice-chancellor released some documents to prove his professorship.

Among the documents were “certified true copies” of offer of tenure of appointment as professor and confirmation of promotion to the post of professor.

Others were copies of court affidavits reportedly deposed by two of Mr Odoh’s three assessors, who testified that they recommended his promotion to the post of professor.

A copy of another court affidavit deposed by the then registrar of FUGUS, Ibrahim Bawa Kaura, also surfaced online.

Mr Bawa, in the affidavit, testified that he was the registrar when Mr Odoh was made a professor in the university.

‘Products of fraud’

But the management of FUGUS later dismissed the claims as “tissues of lies and misinformation.”

In a statement on 21 November, the FUGUS Registrar, Yakubu Anivbassa, said the documents paraded by Mr Odoh which he claimed the university issued were “products of fraud.”

Mr Anivbassa also said, despite Mr Odoh’s repeated claims, the sacked vice-chancellor was never a staff member of the university.

Odoh’s lawsuit

In a statement on Wednesday by his spokesperson, Charles Otu, Mr Odoh said he instituted the legal action at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Abuja with suit number NICN/ ABJ/ 434/ 2024.

The sacked vice-chancellor said though no date has been fixed for the hearing, he is determined to seek legal redress in the court of law.

Mr Odoh maintained that he was promoted to the rank of a full professor after being assessed by three assessors from various Nigerian universities.

He accused FUGUS management of “being in league with politicians to nail and pitch him not just against the academic community, but the rest of Nigeria and the world.”

Mr Odoh insisted that, contrary to FUGUS’ position, he was a staffer of the university and that he did not obtain any document, including court affidavits, fraudulently.

He claimed that all the facts, documents and evidence were “availed” to him “upon diligent enquiries to those who held sway” when he worked in the institution.

“All these, which are already court certified documents, would be tendered in the course of our litigation.

“May we place on record that Odoh has never forged, falsified or caused to be altered, any document even when in public office,” he maintained.