Chief Okoi Obono-Obla
By Akpan David, Calabar
The race to find a replacement for Professor Zana Akpagu who is completing his tenure as Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar soon has become intense as indigenes of Criss River State have insisted that zoning formula be followed.
Prof Akpagu hails from the northern senatorial district while his predecessor, Prof James Epoke hails from the he central. The people of the southern senatorial district are insistent that it is their turn to produce a successor to Akpagu.
But the former personal assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on prosecution, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla has cautioned that the University does not belong to the state, but a federal tertiary institution for all Nigerians.
Obono-Obla said it was laughable for some persons in the state to reduce the position to an ethnic issue.
“The University of Calabar is a federal institution belonging to the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It does not belong to the Central, Northern, or Southern Senatorial Districts of Cross River State of Nigeria.
“The fact that the University is located in Calabar doesn’t by any stretch of imagination means that it belongs to the Southern part Cross River State.
It is therefore utterly ridiculous and preposterous for some of us to reduce the race to fill the soon to be vacant post of Vice Chancellorship of the University of Calabar into Northern, Central and Southern senatorial districts of Cross River State affairs”.
He urged the players to allow the best person who possesses the required academic, administrative, and leadership capabilities to emerge the Vice-Chancellor.
The former chairman of presidential panel on recovery of public properties advised that every Nigerian who has met the criteria laid down, by the governing council of the University whether he or she is from South/South or southeast or North Central or North East or North West is eminently eligible to vie for the position.
“Every Nigerian is eligible to be appointed vice-chancellor if he or she meets the requirements as spelled out by the University of Calabar Act, 1979.”
He urged the stakeholders to allow the governing council of the University of Calabar to decide who emerges next VC.
Obono-Obla went further to say that those planning a protest or whatever to the University against its will are nothing but meddlesome interlopers and busybodies.
According to him, “Section 19 of the University of Calabar Act expressly exclude discrimination on account of race (including ethnic grouping), religion, sex, place of birth or family origin, or religious or political persuasion as a condition of becoming or continuing to be a student at the university, the holder of any degree of the university or any appointment or employment the university.”
