The Federal University Gusau (FUG), Zamfara State, has distanced itself from Bernard Ifeanyi Odoh, the dismissed Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State. The university clarified that Dr. Odoh has never been employed as a professor there.
Speaking in Gusau, the Vice Chancellor of FUG, Professor Muazu Abubakar, stated that the letters Dr. Odoh presented—claiming his appointment and promotion as a professor—were fraudulent. These documents, dated April 30, 2015, and November 12, 2015, were allegedly fabricated with the help of the university’s former registrar, Ibrahim Bawa Kaura.
Professor Abubakar explained that the so-called certified true copies of these letters, dated November 8, 2024, were issued six years after the former registrar left office, further highlighting their questionable authenticity. He added that Dr. Odoh was briefly linked to the university as a visiting staff member in the Department of Geology from July 2014 to August 2015 but never assumed any duties or taught any courses.
The Vice Chancellor stressed that no official record exists of Dr. Odoh’s documentation as a tenured staff member. He described the alleged appointments and confirmations as riddled with irregularities and devoid of due process. According to him, the scheme was orchestrated by Dr. Odoh in collaboration with the former Vice Chancellor and the registrar, with the aim of securing his academic credentials.
Professor Abubakar further revealed that the former registrar impersonated the current registrar by using a forged stamp to authenticate Dr. Odoh’s documents. He reiterated that Dr. Odoh has never been a tenured staff member or a confirmed professor at FUG.
Concluding his remarks, Professor Abubakar called Dr. Odoh’s claims baseless and described them as a desperate attempt to enhance his credentials for the Vice Chancellor position at UNIZIK.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu recently dissolved the governing council of UNIZIK and removed Professor Bernard Ifeanyi Odoh and Registrar Rosemary Ifoema Nwokike from office. According to presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, the decision was based on allegations that the council bypassed due process in appointing an unqualified Vice Chancellor.
