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 arbitrary, discriminatory, and a clear deviation from the university’s tradition. A senior official at the Federal Ministry of Education described the move as "unfair and legally questionable," emphasizing that the Ministry neither issued nor supported such a directive.

Concerns have also emerged over covert efforts to introduce zoning into the selection process, a development some insiders say mimics partisan politics and further undermines meritocracy. A source within the university, who spoke anonymously, criticized the attempt to impose regional favoritism in what should be a federal and competitive academic process.

Several members of the Governing Council, reportedly blindsided by these changes, have distanced themselves from the move and escalated the matter to the Federal Ministry of Education. Meanwhile, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, retired DIG Udom Ekpoudom, has publicly dissociated himself from the Vice Chancellor’s alleged actions and reaffirmed his commitment to a transparent process.

With Prof. Obi’s tenure set to end in November 2025 and the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor slated for September, the stakes are high. Without decisive intervention to protect the integrity of the process, legal disputes could delay or derail the transition entirely.

Across Nigeria’s first-generation universities, post-professorial experience requirements for Vice Chancellor roles typically range from six to eight years. UNICAL’s sudden imposition of a 10-year threshold, without justification or prior precedent, appears irregular and vulnerable to legal challenge.

Stakeholders are now urging a return to the previous benchmark of nine years or less, warning that anything short of this risks exacerbating internal divisions and plunging the institution into avoidable turmoil.

The academic community is watching closely. In this critical moment, UNICAL must prioritize merit, uphold transparency, and resist any attempt to compromise the sanctity of its leadership transition.