FG Announce New VC For Naval University Amid Controversy

The Federal Government has officially announced the appointment of Professor Lucian Chukwu as the new Vice Chancellor of Admiralty University, located in Ibuzor, Delta State.

Naijaonpoint reports that Professor Chukwu, who specializes in Marine Biology and currently serves as the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Management Services at the University of Lagos, was revealed as the new Vice Chancellor on Saturday.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, confirmed Chukwu’s appointment through a statement made available to newsmen by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo.

The minister noted that Chukwu achieved a score of 83.41 percent, securing his position as the new vice chancellor of the institution.

This announcement follows a prior declaration made by the university’s Registrar, Isaac Mankilik, on Friday, which named Professor Christopher Ogbogbo as the new Vice Chancellor, a decision that reportedly caused confusion within the university community.

Mankilik stated that Ogbogbo, a Professor of African History at the University of Ibadan, was selected as the successful candidate after receiving nine out of fifteen votes from the university’s Governing Council during an extraordinary meeting held on Friday.

However, the Chairman of the Council, Dele Ezeoba, rejected Ogbogbo’s appointment, labeling it as “illegal.”

Ezeoba asserted that the registrar lacked the authority and mandate to announce Ogbogbo as the vice chancellor.

“What authority does he (Mankilik) have to announce the appointment of the vice-chancellor? Does his authority override that of the Federal Government?

“His announcement is illegal; it is only the Chairman of the Governing Council that can do that. So, whatever they have done is illegal, and that was why the minister issued a statement approving the appointment of Professor Lucian Chukwu, the substantive VC,” Ezeoba told The PUNCH during an interview on Sunday.

To uphold the integrity, transparency, and professionalism of the selection process, the council enlisted the expertise of KPMG, a globally esteemed consulting firm, to oversee the recruitment and selection of the 52 candidates who applied for the vice chancellor position.

A report from KPMG indicated the scores of the top five candidates, with Chukwu achieving 83.41 percent and Ogbogbo obtaining 72.5 percent.

An anonymous source from the university informed the media that certain council members opposed Ezeoba’s intention to announce Chukwu as the vice chancellor-designate after he was identified as the leading candidate.

The declaration of the overall best candidate was expected when the Chairman of the Governing Council and Pro-Chancellor, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba (retd.), suggested that the council recognize Prof. Chukwu as the winner and vice chancellor-designate.

However, some council members resisted this decision, expressing a preference for the candidate who placed second, thus disregarding the principle of merit.

“As a result of that, the council meeting ended in a fiasco because the governing council chairman did not agree with their action.

“On Friday, February 28, 2025; those selected group convened a kangaroo council meeting without the knowledge of the council chairman and declared Prof. Christopher Ogbogbo, who scored 72.5 per cent and came second as the vice chancellor-designate,” the source said.

In announcing Chukwu as the new Vice Chancellor, the Education Minister stated that his appointment aligns with the Federal Government’s commitment to upholding merit-based principles.

He further noted that this appointment is for a single term of five years, commencing on February 28, 2025.

However, as of this report, it is worth noting that the Federal Government has not yet issued an official appointment letter to Chukwu.

Additionally, attempts to contact Chukwu for confirmation regarding his appointment were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to phone calls or messages at the time of this report.