UniCal’s VCship, 10-Year Professorship Requirement and the Quest For Fairness

The University of Calabar governing council is set to advertise for the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor in the coming days. Although I had initially decided to stay out of the matter, recent developments have compelled me to weigh in on the politics surrounding the VC appointment process.

Many persons, especially of Southern extraction of Cross River State have been commenting on the issue on social media but I feel they’re repeating the mistake of the last five years that cost Professors from the senatorial district to lose out in the bid to produce successor to Prof. Zana Akpagu, even when that was the popular demand at the time.

The politics on whom becomes a Vice Chancellor especially for a federal university starts from the composition of the governing council. Interested political actors ought to have influence those who are either appointed or elected into the council. Here's a polished version:

The politics surrounding the appointment of a Vice Chancellor, particularly in a federal university, begins with the composition of the governing council, as they play a crucial role in the selection process. It is the governing council that determines the criteria for selecting a VC, starting with the requirements listed in the advert. Unlike state universities, where Governors often wield significant influence, the University Miscellaneous Act grants the councils of federal universities the authority to conduct interviews and make VC appointments.

It is however rumoured that while institutions like Bayero University, Kano, University of Benin, and University of Nigeria, Nsukka, have set 5-8 years full professorial status as one of the requirements, the University of Calabar, which is younger than both UNIBEN and UNN (and was actually birthed by UNN), is proposing a 10-year requirement. This decision was reportedly hatched to disqualify some strong contenders while giving advantage to a certain candidate preferred by the authorities in the institution. 

Undoubtedly, the governing council has the authority to set the minimum number of years a candidate must have held a professorship, provided it aligns with the Federal Ministry of Education's guidelines. However, it raises concerns when a university that hasn't set such high limit in its criteria in the last fifteen years or more suddenly introducing is now.

The immediate past Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ivara Esu became a VC with less than seven years of professorship. Similarly, Prof. James Epoke and Prof. Zana Akpagu assumed the VC role with around seven or eight years of professorship. The position of VC is about administrative experience not the length of time as a professor. Some professors with 15 years of seniority may lack the administrative acumen of those with just five years.

However, for those advocating for a VC from the South, who is representing their interests on the governing council? Who is championing their cause? Historically, each of the past Governors over the last 24 years has had a VC from their respective senatorial districts. While the university shouldn't be reduced to a state or community affair, having qualified candidates across the board, rotating the position can promote balance and fairness. In fact, if anyone should be shielded from marginalization, it's the host communities that deserve consideration.

My advice to the South is that if they're interested in producing the next VC of UNICAL, they need to roll up their sleeves and get to work. This effort should begin with ensuring the upcoming advert has fair and unbiased conditions. There’s absolutely no rationale behind pegging professorial status at 10 years when other universities are setting theirs between five and eight. 

Also, unity will be key. Leaders from the senatorial district should work together towards a common goal. Any division among them will likely be exploited, leading to a repeat of the 2020 outcome.