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‘You have no power to fire me,’ says sacked UNIZIK VC

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Bernard Odoh has broken his silence on his removal from office as the vice-chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (NAU) in Anambra State.

 

Odoh, a professor, had emerged as the seventh substantive vice-chancellor of the university on 29 October.

 

However, his appointment, recruitment processes and academic profile later became subjects of controversies which angered academic bodies and the federal government.

 

President Bola Tinubu sacked Mr Odoh as the university’s vice-chancellor. Tinubu also dissolved the university’s Governing Council for “illegally” appointing “an unqualified vice-chancellor without following due process.”

 

Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, announced the developments in a statement on Wednesday.

Apart from Onanuga, Boriowo Folasade, the director of the Federal Ministry of Education’s press and public relations unit, also announced the sacking of the vice-chancellor and the dissolution of the institution’s Governing Council in a separate statement on Wednesday.

 

‘You’re working for fifth columnists’

Odoh, while reacting in a statement later on Wednesday by his spokesperson, Charles Otu, argued that the ministry has no power to sack him as vice-chancellor of the university.

He suggested that Mr Tinubu did not authorise his removal and the dissolution of the Governing Council.

 

“Already, the greatest question mark on the integrity of the purported letter is the fact that it never emanated from the President or Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation who issued the council members with appointment letters.

“It was rather strangely endorsed, not by a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, perhaps on behalf of the Honourable Minister, but by a Public Relations Director. This obviously casts strong doubts on the genuineness and intents of the said letter,” he stated.

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The university professor was replying to the press statement from the education ministry even as Onanuga, the special adviser to Tinubu on Information and Strategy, also issued a similar statement.

Odoh claimed that the ministry was engaging in an alleged usurpation of powers, given that only President Tinubu has the power to sack him or dissolve the Governing Council.

He stressed that it was improper for the ministry to accuse the Governing Council of breaching procedures and lawful directives without formally inviting them for questioning regarding the appointment of the vice-chancellor.

He contended that despite a “mountain of evidence,” the ministry had continued to insist that the “council unilaterally appointed” him as the vice-chancellor of the institution.

Odoh also said some lawsuits challenging his emergence as vice-chancellor were still pending at the National Industrial Court in Awka and that the ministry announced his sack even when the court was yet to deliver its judgement.

 

“Why is the ministry now desperately trying to also usurp the powers of the courts of competent jurisdictions in our land before whom are multiple lawsuits on this matter by running into a conclusion without evidence?

“Even when the vice-chancellor has made his academic credentials public, why is the ministry still referring to him as ‘unqualified?’” he said.

He stressed that contrary to the ministry’s claim, there had not been any crisis in the university.

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“It can even be safe to conclude that the Ministry, ostensibly working for some fifth columnists, may want to ignite or spark crises with its highly dictatorial treatise,” he said.

‘You violated the university’s Act’
Odoh accused the education ministry of violating the extant provisions of the University’s Act by announcing his removal for a second time.

“Top among the many other flaws in the purported ‘sack letter’ is the fact that even the Council’s Chairman, who was duly appointed with a letter, has not been officially or formally communicated about this purported dissolution,” he said.

The sacked vice-chancellor suggested that despite his removal, he would not vacate office until the court ruled otherwise.

“We would wish to maintain that hence parties have remained in court, let the issues be expeditiously tested and established by the relevant provisions of our laws,” he said.

“The general public and particularly members of the university community are advised to go about their lawful and legitimate businesses as they have always maintained.”

Background on the sack of the VC, Governing Council
Since he emerged as vice-chancellor, Odoh’s academic profile and his appointment have become subjects of controversy.

For instance, Odoh’s profile published on the university’s website indicated that he served as a visiting professor at the Federal University, Gusau (FUGUS), Zamfara State, between July 2015 and October 2017.

However, both FUGUS and the university’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) refuted Odoh’s claims in separate letters in response to enquiries about his academic profile.

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Meanwhile, before Odoh emerged as the vice-chancellor, the UNIZIK’s chapter of the ASUU and the institution’s chapter of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria had alleged irregularities in both the announcement of the vacancy and recruitment process.

Three days after Odoh’s emergence, the Federal Ministry of Education, through a memo dated 1 November 2024, nullified the appointment, accusing the university’s Governing Council led by Greg Mbadiwe of making the appointment “without representatives of the ministry, the internal council members and other stakeholders.”

But the university, in a letter issued the same day by its Registrar and Secretary to Council, R.I. Nwokike, insisted that they “adhered strictly to a valid judgement from a competent court, which directed the council to exercise its statutory authority in appointing the vice-chancellor.”

Also, Odoh, in his first public response last Friday, said the education ministry lacks the power to nullify his appointment as the university’s vice-chancellor.

During a press conference in Awka, the disputed vice-chancellor, through his spokesperson, Charles Otu, claimed he was appointed as a visiting professor at FUGUS in 2014 but was later promoted to the rank of full professor of applied geophysics at the institution in 2015.

On Monday, ASUU said Odoh’s appointment as vice-chancellor and Rosemary Nwokike as registrar of the university was illegal and a mockery of the university system.

The union, in a statement by its National President, Emmanuel Osoedeke, a professor, said the appointments violated all known procedures from advertisement, search process, and shortlisting to selection processes.

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Two Oyo commissioner, special adviser resign

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Two senior officials in the Oyo State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning have resigned their appointments from Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration.

The officials are Ayobami Ojo, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, and Simeon Oyeleke, the ministry’s Special Adviser on Budget and Economic Planning.

In separate letters dated November 2, and addressed to Mr Makinde, both officials said their resignations would take effect immediately, while thanking the governor for the opportunity to serve but did not give specific reasons for their decisions.

In his letter, Ojo referred to his appointment letter dated 22 June 2026 and formally announced his resignation as commissioner.

“With reference to your letter dated 22nd June, 2026 (SP.S.662/2/VOL.IV/192), I respectfully write to formally resign my appointment as Honourable Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, with effect from today, 2nd November, 2026,” he wrote.

He described his time in government as an honour and said he appreciated the opportunity to serve the state.

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Oyeleke also tendered his resignation with effect from 2 November.

In his letter, he thanked Mr Makinde for the confidence reposed in him and the opportunity to contribute to the administration’s policies and development programmes.

He also expressed appreciation for the governor’s leadership, support and encouragement during his time in office.

“I remain grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this administration and to have contributed to its laudable achievements. I also remain committed to the peace, progress and development of Oyo State,” he wrote.

The latest resignations come amid a series of exits of political appointees and other officials from the Makinde administration in recent months.

It would be recalled that Segun Ogunwuyi resigned as the governor’s chief of staff on 12 October, a position he had held since July 2021. His resignation took immediate effect, although he did not state a reason for his departure.

A few hours after Ogunwuyi’s departure, Makinde appointed Bashorun Akinwole, popularly known as Wolekanle, as his replacement.

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On the same day, Tara Adefope, the Director-General of the Oyo State Due Process Office, also resigned from her position, while in late October, Kabiru Salami, the governor’s Executive Assistant on Security Coordination, also tendered his resignation.

Other officials who have left the administration include Funmi Arulogun, a Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Matters, who resigned in August, citing personal and political considerations.

Babatunde Oduyoye, a member of the Oyo State Advisory Council, also resigned in July, while Fatai Owoseni, a former Commissioner of Police who served as the governor’s Special Adviser on Security resigned in May.

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Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: Campaigns: OK Movement insists on independence

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1. The OK (Obi/Kwankwaso) Movement has declared that it will maintain its independent identity while mobilising support for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and its candidates ahead of the 2027 general election. 

Movement’s leader John Ughulu said the group remained committed to its original mission of securing the election of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and erstwhile Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Speaking in an interview, Ughulu dismissed suggestions that the movement’s decision to campaign independently would undermine its support for the NDC, insisting that the focus should be on achieving a common  political objective.

2. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid got a big boost at the weekend with endorsements from across the country. His achievement, the need for consolidation, national cohesion, and other reasons were adduced for the show of solidarity. The presidential election is billed for January 16, 2027

3. The Federal Government has vowed to crack down on inflated public contracts and procurement violations, warning heads of government-owned agencies, corporations, councils, authorities and commissions that they risk sanctions for breaching procurement regulations. The government raised the alarm over contract awards that exceed approved price benchmarks.

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4. The African Democratic Congress has rescheduled its presidential campaign kick-off in Sokoto State to Wednesday, November 4, despite alleging threats, attacks on its members and attempts by the state government to frustrate the event. The party said its decision to proceed with the campaign was a demonstration of its determination to exercise its constitutional rights despite what it described as growing political intimidation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

5. Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have neutralised four leaders of the Islamic State West Africa Province, including two Arabs, a commander and several of their foot soldiers in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. The Army said they were neutralised on October 31, 2026, by combined troops of the Joint Task Force deployed to Kukawa following a massive ISWAP terrorists attack on their locations.

6. United States President, Donald Trump, has agreed to grant an immediate visa to the mother of a 15-year-old Ghanaian boy shot dead in New York, following a request by the city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani announced the development on Saturday after speaking with Trump, saying the visa would allow the teenager’s mother to travel to the United States and attend her son’s funeral.

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7. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested two Nigerians based in Europe after they allegedly ingested 200 wraps of cocaine weighing 3.46kg while attempting to travel from Abuja to Paris, France. The suspects, identified as Aliocus Odife and Sam Blackborn, were arrested on Wednesday during the outward clearance of an Air France flight, AF 832, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

8. Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 100-level female student of Plateau State University, Bokkos, while another person sustained injuries during an attack on off-campus student residential areas in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State. It was learnt that the incidents, which occurred on Saturday evening at about 8:40pm, had heightened concerns over the safety of students residing outside the university campus.

9. An early-morning fire outbreak at the weekend destroyed no fewer than 110 buildings and structures at Kofar Ruwa Timber Market in the Kano metropolis. The Kano State Fire Service, while confirming the incident in a statement on Sunday, said the inferno razed 75 permanent buildings and 35 temporary structures across different sections of the market.

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10. The immediate past National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has declared his readiness to align with President Bola Tinubu or former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election, while ruling out support for the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi.

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Relief as suspected Ebola cases in Adamawa tested negative

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that there are currently no laboratory-confirmed cases of Ebola  in Adamawa.

The NCDC had on Saturday said that there were two suspected cases of Ebola in the north-east state, adding that the individuals had been isolated while contact identification was ongoing.

But in a statement on Sunday, the director-general of NCDC, Jide Idris,
said samples collected from the two individuals, who had symptoms suggestive of Ebola, tested negative after two rounds of testing.

“The report was received by the Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) in the early hours of 30 October 2026, following the identification of two individuals presenting with symptoms suggestive of Ebola, requiring further investigation,” the statement reads.

“Hence the alert that was released early this evening. The individuals have been isolated, and appropriate public health measures have been initiated.

“Samples were collected for laboratory testing to establish the cause of the illness. Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EBV after two rounds of testing.”

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Idris commended the Adamawa health commissioner and his team for their “proactive approach”, adding that the NCDC was working closely with the state government to investigate the report of suspected Ebola cases.

“Currently, there is no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa state,” he said.

“The index case previously confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory remains the only confirmed case reported in Nigeria to date.”

He urged the public to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information or speculating about the situation.

“The public is encouraged to obtain information from official government and public health communication channels,” he said.

Idris described Ebola as a serious infectious disease that requires prompt identification, appropriate clinical management and effective infection prevention and control measures.

“Anyone experiencing symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly following relevant exposure, should seek immediate medical attention and inform healthcare workers of any relevant travel or contact history,” he said.

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“Individuals should avoid self-medication and follow the advice of healthcare professionals.”

Nigeriaconfirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade on October 20, after a 42-year-old Swiss woman tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain in Abuja.

The patient, who had travelled from Uganda to Nigeria, was subsequently isolated and treated by Nigerian health workers.

On Monday, the federal governmentevacuated the patient to Switzerland aboard a medical plane.

Her husband, who was identified as a close contact, was also evacuated to Switzerland.

Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, said the patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious and communicating, with her laboratory test results approaching baseline levels.

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