Victor Ezeja
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu University (COOU) has refuted allegations levelled against the acting Vice Chancellor (VC), Prof. Kate Azuka Omenugha, describing it as “unfounded.”
In a statement signed by the COOU, Public Relations Officer, Dr. Harrison Madubueze, the school said its attention has been drawn to allegations contained in a petition reportedly submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by an Abuja-based law firm on behalf of an anonymous “university staff” against the acting VC.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelIt said the petition is a “calculated attempt to tarnish the reputation and distinguished career of the Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Kate Azuka Omenugha, fnipr as well as the public standing of the University.”
The school said its response was not to dignify the “manifest falsehood” but to set the record straight given the potential reach of the spurious allegations and possible misinformation it could generate.
“For the sake of clarity, the University will not lend credence to transparently unfounded accusations made with only one design in mind; nor will we engage in a futile exchange. However, it is necessary to set the record straight for those who may be misled by these unfounded claims,” It stated.
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The COOU Public Relations Officer clarified that no law enforcement agent has either brought to the attention of the Acting VC any petition against her or requested her response regarding such.
He expressed concerns that the acting VC has been subjected to a media trial over an alleged petition which has not even resulted in any official inquiry.
“It is unquestionably curious that an alleged petition which has yet to result in any official inquiry has already been turned into a media spectacle. This development exposes the true motives of the faceless beings behind these allegations.”
Prime Business Africa reports that Omenugha, who is the second female professor of Mass Communication in Nigeria and the first female to head the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, has been in acting capacity since her appointment on 5 December 2023, about a year and two months.
Describing the petition as a “mischievous mudslinging”, Madubueze said it appears to have been contrived by forces of misogyny against the Acting Vice-Chancellor given the ongoing process of the selection of a substantive Vice Chancellor for Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University.
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He noted that since her appointment, Professor Omenugha has “spearheaded transformative changes across various facets of the University” including values rebirth, rehabilitation of infrastructure, raising the bar of academic standards, improvement in research, curriculum reform, standing of the University, and a more robust engagement with the university community. “These changes have brought to an end the days of unchecked privilege by certain vested interests accustomed to exploiting the University for private ends without respect for constraints or guardrails. Those days are gone and will not return,” he declared.
He assured the university community and members of the public that these unfounded allegations will not deter the acting VC from rendering her transformative service to students, host communities, the State and the country.
The statement added that Omenugha continues to work tirelessly with the support of the organs of the University to make COOU “a model institution – The Now University and of the Future!”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
