Vice Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, Prof. Boniface Egboka, has said that the running battle he is currently having with the institution’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is orchestrated by the quest by some lecturers to succeed him next year.
Egboka, who addressed staff, students, friends and well-wishers at the university’s auditorium to mark his four years in office, advised lecturers to build their records to give them edge over their competitors to the position, rather than dissipate energy fighting for non-existent issues.
This, he said, will “negatively expose their over vaulting ambition when the time would have come”.
He advised such people to exercise patience and wait till the right time and for ‘those who may be threatened by the sheer essence of our presence to sheath their sword; we will not be an obstacle to any one; people should avoid unnecessary dissipation of time and energy in chasing the shadow so early in the day.”
but rather, concentrated on building up their curriculum vitae as the process of the interview, selection and appointment of any Vice Chancellor is not one that would yield to blackmail and/or subterfuges”.
Egboka said that before he succeeded as Vice Chancellor, he had contested that position with virtually all former VCs, failed and became humbled, and yet submissive to their authority.
He said the university is at its best at the moment, hence 88,000 candidates chose it as first choice when it can only admit 5,500.
Egboka said he has surprised his critics in area of infrastructural development, humane administration and promotion of academic excellence.
Egboka said that in his four years in office, he promoted over 160 academic staff to Professors and Readers and restrained himself from wielding the big stick on erring staff, even when the University Law gives him leverage to do so.
“But we chose not to do so for good cause and for peace, order, honour and good governance for our country”.
He promised to strive to work even harder in the next one year to tidy up and polish off our jobs and efforts despite the fact that a lot still remain to be done”, he pledged.
In that regard he said, he will handle all on-going projects aggressively as far as possible and to that extent strive to complete those that have reached advanced levels of completion while advancing the stage in the completion of others.
Besides, Egboka said that his administration will tackle accreditation of courses and strive to reach 100 per cent success and ensure that the new statute for the University’s College of Health Sciences, Nnewi, is put to full operation this year and make the campus worthy of emulation.
In the same way, the university will give flesh to its Department of Agriculture, not just in the Awka campus, but at Ifite-Ogwari in Ayamelum local council.
The event, which started on Sunday with a mass at St. Joseph the Worker Chaplaincy of the university, featured interdenominational service, dances, drama and presentation of the book on his achievements.
