OPINION: Crisis Brews in UNICAL as VC Succession Process Faces Allegations of Bias and Manipulation
By Efa Sunday Unless urgent steps are taken to restore transparency and fairness, the process of selecting the next Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) may spiral into a full-blown crisis. Tensions are rising over a deepening rift between the University’s Governing Council and the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi. At the center of the controversy is a new eligibility criterion introduced midway into the selection process - a mandatory 10-year post-professorial experience for aspiring candidates. According to credible sources, this requirement was allegedly engineered by certain interests within the university to edge out strong contenders and clear the path for a favored candidate. Critics argue that the rule has no consistent precedent in UNICAL's history. For instance, past Vice Chancellors, including Prof. Obi herself, were appointed with between five and nine years of post-professorial experience. Observers have labeled the new benchmark as ...