Reps Committee summons Education Minister, stakeholders over Imo VC controversy
The House of Representatives Committee on University Education has called upon the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, to address concerns surrounding the dissolution of several university governing councils across the country.
During a committee meeting in Abuja, the lawmakers extended the invitation to the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, as well as the heads of other key agencies in the education sector.
A major focus of the discussion was a petition concerning the suspension of Prof. Stella Lemchi, Vice-Chancellor of Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri.
The petition was submitted by a group identified as the Concerned Interviewed Professors for the Post of Vice-Chancellor, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education (AIFUE), Owerri.
Signed by Prof. Kingsley Ikebudu and Prof. Joshua Umeifekwem, the document alleged that Lemchi was neither qualified to hold the position of Acting Vice-Chancellor nor to be appointed as the substantive Vice-Chancellor.
The petitioners claimed that Lemchi had never been a member of staff at Imo State University (IMSU) and that she had misrepresented her academic credentials, purporting to hold a professorship in a non-existent discipline at IMSU.
However, IMSU’s Registrar, Dr Julius Ozuagwu, refuted these claims, stating that Lemchi was officially appointed as a Reader (Associate Professor) at IMSU.
He explained that her promotion to the rank of professor followed due process and met the criteria set by the NUC for academic staff progression.
Ozuagwu further clarified that Lemchi had been seconded to her position and was permitted to complete her tenure as Provost of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri.
Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Abubakar Fulata (APC-Jigawa), announced that all relevant stakeholders would be summoned to provide responses to the petition.
Fulata emphasised that the discussions would also cover the wider issue of frequent university council dissolutions and the dismissal of vice-chancellors, highlighting the necessity of job security for academic and administrative personnel.
