UNIben disUNIted

Even now, a casual observer walking within the school walls wouldn’t think anything was wrong. The hostels are still rowdy, lecture theatres are still packed full and the school’s famed social life is booming as always. But all is not well in the University of Benin, Nigeria, for beneath the semblance of normalcy is a riveting political battle as fierce and intense as it is shocking. And it all began the day Prof. Emmanuel Nwanze, the immediate past vice-chancellor, retired or possibly a short while before that.

Prof. Nwanze’s five year tenure ended on February 9th and as directed by the then minister of education, Dr. Igwe Aja-Nwachukwu, he handed over the reins to the deputy vice-chancellor (admin), Prof(Mrs.) Uche Gbenedio albeit in acting capacity. The move was in line with convention in federal universities in the last one year, where in the absence of a governing council, the federal government appoints an acting vice-chancellor. In all the cases that this has happened, the deputy vice-chancellor in charge of administration was appointed and in all the cases, it wasn’t a problem – until UNIBEN. Opposition to Prof. Gbenedio’s appointment was swift and emphatic and it came from two fronts – the legal and the ludicrous.

Let’s start with the ludicrous. Certain folks reasoned that since the outgoing VC was a Delta Igbo, it was sacrilegious for another Igbo -Mrs. Gbenedio- to serve as acting VC. Leading this school of thought were ethnic champions like the Benin Forum, Edo Citizens Forum and the Concerned Edo Citizens. This tribal argument obviously makes no sense but is symptomatic of the general Nigerian disease where in the words of renowned journalist and publisher of Ovation magazine, we “continue to stick to our primordial systems of zoning and federal character. And continue to treat fellow citizens as foreigners in their own country.” I couldn’t agree more. For one, Uniben is a federal institution and by law is not bound by their sentiments. But even more importantly, it is a university – one of Nigeria’s finest. Universities are supposed to be champions of meritocracy, excellence and sound work ethics. A hodge-podge of the best and brightest minds a nation has to offer. That a group of local champions most of whom have no affiliation at all with the institution apart from geography would champion such a selfish and myopic cause is truly disheartening. The fact that these same kinds would leap for joy that a Kenyan black duly occupies the white house says a lot about the hypocrisy of man.

The legal angle was introduced by a faction of the university’s ASUU branch led by Dr. Ilevbare whose grouse was that the appointment did not follow due process because Prof. Gbenedio’s tenure as deputy vice chancellor had expired as at the time of her elevation making her ineligible to be selected as acting VC. At the beginning, it seemed like they wouldn’t be having their way because the new governing council –inaugurated in March- was only interested in filling the vacant position of substantive VC, even requesting for applications from suitably qualified and interested candidates. At that time the governing council didn’t seem to have a problem with the acting VC. Not until they too ‘realized’ some weeks later that her appointment did not follow ‘due process’ (that word again). The council led by the new chairman Prof. Mmuendaga Jibo therefore mandated the university senate to conduct a proper election, effectively overruling the visitor to the university, President Yar’adua, on whose behalf the former minister had appointed Prof. Gbenedio. Battling desperately to save her job, Prof. Gbenedio went to the courts and obtained an order restraining any one from removing her as acting VC. But the governing council and senate-eternal champions of due process- ignored the courts, went ahead and elected a new acting vice chancellor in the person of Prof. Emmanuel Kubenje, the provost of the college of medical sciences. Not done yet, they punished Mrs. Gbenedio by suspending her from all the university’s activities and placed her effectively on half salary for daring to take the school to court without giving the school community the mandatory 30 days notice prescribed by the school rules.

Needless to say, this is a needless battle. Honestly, I am amazed at the amount of fuss and controversy the issue of who becomes ‘acting’ vice chancellor is generating. I would have expected that the governing council of the university be more interested in immediately ensuring the emergence -- by due process of course -- of a substantive vice chancellor so that the business of running the institution is unhindered. Also, the measure meted out to Prof. Gbenedio is too severe. She isn’t just some opportunistic school teacher. She was the first vice chancellor of Benson Idahosa University and until her elevation and demotion, was the deputy vice chancellor of UNIBEN. If this is about due process, then she must be given her due.

One of the most brandished achievements of the former VC was that the school ran an uninterrupted calendar for 5 years (the first time that has ever happened). This feat was as much his doing as it was the students’ and for now, the students are surprisingly quiet. That’s a good sign. The students’ union government recently released a circular, stating its neutrality in the whole affair and its ready disposition to accept any one who emerges as the VC. That’s also a good sign. How long the students maintain this level of maturity is another matter. Fingers are crossed but ears can still hear the rumblings in the cloud, senses can feel the disunity in the land. And that’s never a good sign.