Confusion, controversy becloud selection of Admiralty University VC

Despite the efforts to enthrone merit in the process of selecting Vice Chancellors and heads of other tertiary institutions, it appears too many vested interests will pull all the stops to undermine such efforts.

This seems to be what is playing out at the Admiralty University of Nigeria (ADUN), a Federal Government institution, which used to be owned and wholly controlled by the Nigeria Navy, but which has now taken on the status of a federal university.

The process of selecting the vice chancellor of the institution is now mired in controversies due to intrigues and what some stakeholders have described as an attempt to ditch merit in the selection process.

It was learnt that to get the most qualified candidate for the role, the services of KPMG, a globally renowned management consultancy firm, was procured by the university.

The Guardian further learnt that at the end of the rigorous selection process, Professor Lucian Obinna Chukwu, a Professor of Marine Biology and current Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Management Services at the University of Lagos, emerged the top candidate.

However, in a twist, the top candidate from the selection process, who was said to have scored 83.41 per cent in the selection process, was bypassed in favour of Professor Ogbogbo Christopher of the Department of History at the University of Ibadan.

Apart from the controversy over the alleged ditching of merit, there have equally been claims and counter-claims over the process through which the announcement of the new vice chancellor was made.

A press release circulated on Whatsapp and e-signed by the Registrar of the institution had announced that the Governing Council of the institution appointed Professor Bankole Ndubisi Ogbogbo as its substantive vice chancellor.

The statement said: “The decision was made at its extraordinary meeting held today, 28th February, 2025 in the university. Professor Ogbogbo emerged as the successful candidate after a rigorous selection process, receiving nine out of 15 votes from the Council members. He was selected from a shortlist of three highly qualified candidates. Professor Christopher Bankole Ndubisi Ogbogbo brings a wealth of academic and administrative experience to ADUN.”

However, when The Guardian contacted the university’s Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Rear Admiral Dele Ezeoba (rtd), he dismissed the announcement made by the Registrar.

He said the Registrar did not have the powers or the mandate to make the announcement of Ogbogbo as vice chancellor.

Ezeoba also rejected claims that he attended the Governing Council meeting, which was said to have been held on Friday, where the decision to appoint Ogbogbo was said to have been taken.

The former Chief of Naval Staff condemned any attempt to drop the best performing candidate, noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had made it clear that the leadership of the nation’s tertiary institutions should be based on merit.

The Guardian later received an e-signed message via Whatsapp in which the Pro-Chancellor announced that the newly appointed Vice Chancellor is Professor Lucian Chukwu.

The statement read: “The Governing Council of Admiralty University of Nigeria, Ibusa, Delta State, has approved the appointment of Professor Lucian Chukwu as Vice Chancellor. Professor Chukwu was appointed following his emergence as the best candidate in the selection interview conducted by the Joint Selection Board.

“Prof. Chukwu had an aggregate score of 83.41 % in the interview. His appointment is with immediate effect. Until his appointment, Prof. Chukwu was the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Management Services, University of Lagos. He possesses the cognate experience and subject matter specialisation required for the realisation of the objectives of ADUN.”

When The Guardian later contacted the Registrar; he denied that merit was ditched in the selection process. He said: “There is no iota of truth in the allegation that we ditched merit in the VC selection process. We started this process way back in October, and in the university system, when you start that process, you advertise. And when you advertise, you will draw up a shortlist. And then, you will invite the short-listed persons for interview. The Governing Council of the university will usually set up what they call a Joint Selection Board to interview the short-listed candidates. That is what the law says and, in that Board, you will have the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education there to observe the process and a member of the Federal Character Commission. We followed all these,” he said.