The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) Branch, Igbariam, Anambra State, has called for the urgent appointment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor for the institution.
The union made the call during its congress held at the university’s auditorium on Friday, 16th May 2025.
The union warned that the absence of a substantive Vice-Chancellor is creating a leadership vacuum that threatens the peace and stability of the university. Members cited similar crises in other universities in the South-East, where delays in appointing a substantive Vice-Chancellor have led to confusion and rivalry. The union also raised concerns about prolonged acting tenures in other key positions, including the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Acting Bursar, and Acting University Librarian — a situation that contradicts existing university regulations.
In a decisive move, the congress unanimously passed a motion to formally communicate its resolution on the Vice-Chancellor issue to the University Governing Council and the Visitor (a renowned academic).
The union insisted that the ongoing appointment/selection process should be concluded urgently and in full compliance with COOU’s governing laws.
They lamented that the current COOU congress comes after years of internal crisis and prolonged dormancy, resolved only through the national body’s intervention.
It was also gathered that during the meeting, the congress acknowledged the commendable infrastructural interventions by the Anambra State Government under the leadership of Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo. These include efforts to restore electricity to the Uli campus after prolonged darkness, provide power to the teaching hospital at the Awka campus, and revamp the power sub-station at Igbariam.
Other initiatives commended by the union include the impending flag-off of road construction within the Uli campus, installation of fibre optic cables for free Wi-Fi at the Uli and Igbariam campuses, the near-completed trauma centre at the University Teaching Hospital, the remodelling of university gates at Awka and Uli, and the planned construction of student hostels at the Uli campus. Financially, the union recognised the ₦100 million support for the establishment of the Medical Laboratory Science and Health Sciences project, and the ₦300 million intervention for programme upgrades and infrastructure — all of which contributed to the university’s recent full accreditation of major programmes, including Medicine and Nursing, by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
In his briefing, the ASUU-COOU Chairman, Comrade Bruno, provided an update on ASUU activities at the branch, zonal, and national levels.
The chairman expressed concern that the “Solution Footprint” has yet to directly impact staff welfare. The union pointed out that while infrastructure is vital, the wellbeing of staff has not received similar attention. Issues such as the 25% and 35% wage awards, the new minimum wage, earned academic allowances (EAA), pensions, retirement benefits, appraisal challenges, health insurance, and National Housing Fund contributions remain unresolved.
According to him, to tackle these challenges, several committees were set up during the congress with clear terms of reference and deadlines.
These include the Minimum Wage and Salary-Related Committee, the Earned Acade
mic Allowances (EAA) Committee, and the Appraisal Review Committee. A Harmonisation Committee was also established to collate and prepare all reports for presentation to the University Governing Council and the governor.
One of the most critical issues raised at the congress was the prolonged delay in appointing a substantive Vice-Chancellor.
“Since the exit of Prof. Greg Nwakoby in December 2023, the university has operated under acting leadership. Therefore, we plead with the Anambra State Government to appoint a substantive Vice-Chancellor,” the chairman stressed.
