The Ebonyi Prestigious Club, a social club of eminent young Ebonyi citizens in different fields of endeavour has congratulated the newly installed Vice Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Professor Bernard Odoh whose installation took effect on the 29th of October, 2024 .
The club in a statement signed by its caretaker president and founder, Sir Chika Nwoba congratulated the Ebonyi born academic for clinching the coveted position in the face of hassles. The club prayed for Professor Bernard Odoh and his team, urging him to lead by example, and offer the best of his leadership skills. The club expressed displeasure over the campaign of calumny targeted at the now Vice Chancellor, suing for good understanding with the staff of the institution in the overall interest of the institution. The statement reads in parts:
“The Ebonyi Prestigious Club has received with ecstasy the news of the installation of Professor Bernard Odoh as the seventh Vice Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The club congratulates the new Vice Chancellor, urging him to prove his adversaries wrong by offering quality leadership to the university, a kind that is unprecedented in the annals of the leadership of the institution”.
The statement continues, “We’re glad not just because he’s our brother; we’re glad that he’s the first alumnus of the institution to be its Vice Chancellor since creation having got all his academic qualifications from the institution and also teaching there. We are certain that he’ll deliver and make Ebonyi proud, cancelling all the negative comments of his opponents and their supporters. The Ebonyi Prestigious Club wishes you, Professor Bernard Odoh a successful tenure!”
Recall that a cross section of the university academic staff members protested against the declaration of interest by Odoh, accusing him of being sponsored by political heavyweights in the All Progressives Congress. They also accused him of not being qualified to declare interest in the first place, warning against bringing in a politician as Vice Chancellor of the university. Several protests greeted the declaration of interest, but failed to affect his chances as he was successfully returned elected by the governing board of the university after outperforming other aspirants in the interview organized during which every aspirant reeled out their manifestos.
Professor Odoh was a secretary to the Government of Ebonyi State under Engineer David Umahi as governor and contested the governorship seat of the state twice. The forty nine year old academic is a professor of Geology and from Ezza North local government of Ebonyi S
tate.
