On Wednesday, August 6, 2025, staff members of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) in Anambra State called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to appoint a substantive Vice-Chancellor (VC) to end the ongoing leadership vacuum, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The statement, signed by Professors Peter Okonkwo, Stephen Unachukwu, and Mbanefo Odum, follows the expiration of former VC Prof. Greg Nwakoby’s tenure on December 4, 2023, with Prof. Kate Azuka Omenugha serving as Acting VC since December 5, 2023. The staff commended Soludo and the Governing Council, chaired by Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, for ensuring a transparent selection process, a first for the university, as outlined in the COOU Law of 2014.
The vacancy was advertised on January 2, 2025, in Vanguard Newspaper, inviting applications from professors with at least 15 years of experience in university leadership, teaching, and research for a single, non-renewable five-year term, per Ordinance 11 (4d). The Joint Council/Senate Selection Committee completed its work and submitted recommendations to Soludo in early August 2025, as confirmed by Odinkalu. The staff urged Soludo to act swiftly on the committee’s choice of the top candidate, noting his commitment during COOU’s last convocation to announce the VC upon receiving the recommendation. Earlier, on May 16, 2025, ASUU-COOU had raised concerns about the leadership gap and Omenugha’s prolonged acting tenure, which exceeded statutory limits, per Tribune Online and Voice of Nigeria. X posts from @SaharaReporters on August 5, 2025, highlighted staff frustration but praised Soludo’s infrastructure investments, like Uli campus road construction and free Wi-Fi, urging a prompt VC appointment to stabilize COOU.
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