The race to produce the next substantive Vice-Chancellor of Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU), has officially begun, with the institution setting up a five-member search team to identify the academic who will steer the university into its next chapter.
The move comes after nearly two years of interim leadership under Prof. Ndukwe Okeudo, who was appointed by Abia State Governor Alex Otti following the removal of the university’s former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Maxwell Ogbulu, before the expiration of his tenure.
The search team was inaugurated by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Rt. Hon. Dr Agwu U. Agwu, who said the exercise is aimed at finding the most qualified candidate to become ABSU’s ninth substantive Vice-Chancellor.
Prof. Onwubiko Dike will chair the committee, alongside Prof. (Mrs.) Mary Oluchi Iwuagwu, Prof. Sam Agu, Prof. Anthony Obike and Dr Osita Igbe, while Dr Uche Kalu Uduka will serve as secretary.
According to the Pro-Chancellor, the committee was constituted in line with Section 12(2)(b) of the Abia State University Law (2005), which empowers the Governing Council to establish a search team for the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor.
Rather than waiting only for applications, Agwu said the committee would travel across the country to identify highly qualified academics—particularly Abians—who may be reluctant to apply for the position on their own.
“The objective of this team is to physically visit many universities across the country to identify and nominate suitable persons, especially Abians, who are not likely to apply for the post of Vice-Chancellor on their own volition,” he said.
He explained that the committee would obtain the credentials of shortlisted candidates, prepare detailed reports on each of them and submit recommendations to the Governing Council within three weeks.
Agwu said the council was determined to restore transparency, merit and due process in the university’s leadership recruitment, noting that the tradition of broad-based consultation had been neglected in recent years.
He urged the committee to search widely for a visionary academic capable of leading a technology-driven university and strengthening ABSU’s position among Nigeria’s leading institutions.
Responding on behalf of the committee, Chairman Prof. Dike pledged that the team would carry out the assignment diligently and in the best interest of the university.
The development has generated fresh conversations within the university community, where many believe the institution’s next leader should emerge from its pool of about 100 serving professors.
Supporters of an internal appointment argue that promoting from within motivates academics, preserves institutional culture and ensures continuity, while others maintain that the priority should be selecting the most competent candidate, regardless of where the person currently serves.
With the search now underway, attention is shifting to who will eventually emerge as the academic entrusted with shaping the future of one of Abia State’s foremost universities.
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