A former Secretary to the Abia State Government, Dr Eme Okoro, has criticised the decision of the Governing Council of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, to relocate the interview for the institution’s 7th Vice-Chancellor from the university campus to Abuja.
The decision, approved by the Chairman of the Governing Council, Fidelis Edeh, was conveyed in a statement issued on Wednesday, which gave candidates one week to prepare for the trip to the Federal Capital Territory.
The move has sparked reactions among stakeholders, amid estimates that over N50m could be spent on logistics for more than 40 council members and management staff if the exercise is held in Abuja.
Reacting to the development in an interview with PUNCH Online on Wednesday, Okoro described the relocation as unnecessary and capable of sending the wrong signal about the security situation in Abia State.
“For Edeh to move the sitting of the Council from Umuahia to Abuja with the attendant cost and inconvenience to the aspirants suggests insecurity,” he said.
He added that Governor Alex Otti and security agencies in the state were fully capable of handling any security concerns, if such existed.
The former SSG questioned why the council chairman did not exhaust consultations with relevant stakeholders before taking what he described as a weighty decision.
“By implication, the Council Chairman is telling President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Gov Alex Otti that they cannot secure a small place like a university campus for the council to hold a meeting for the purpose of selecting a vice-chancellor,” he said.
Okoro revealed that he had previously reached out to Edeh, urging him to ensure transparency in the process leading to the emergence of a credible scholar as the university’s next vice-chancellor.
He called on the council to immediately rescind the decision, warning of potential consequences.
“They should learn from what happened where the Council was obdurate and flagrantly abused the process, only for them to be swept away by Mr President,” he cautioned.
Speaking further, Okoro insisted that the relocation was painting a false picture of insecurity in the state.
“He is painting a picture of insecurity in the state, but it is not. The governor and security agencies are in firm control, and Abia is peaceful,” he told our correspondent.
However, when contacted, the Chairman of the Governing Council, Fidelis Edeh, defended the decision, saying it was within the council’s powers to determine its meeting venue.
“No, but do I have such powers? I don’t have,” he said. “The chairman of a council is just a man who presides over meetings. So, the chairman is not the sole administrator.”
He explained that the governing council, by its mandate, could hold its meetings at any location it deemed appropriate.
“The governing council, by its mandate, has a reason to hold its meeting anywhere it chooses to hold. So, we have not done anything that is outside the regulations,” Edeh said.
“In fact, part of what we ought to be doing is even rotating our meetings across states in the South-East. We can hold our meeting anywhere. There are people who even hold their meetings outside the country,” he added.