By Chinedum Treasure
The Vice Chancellor of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Prof. Kate Omenugha, has dismissed allegations that the dismissal of Prof. Chike Osegbue was politically motivated, insisting that due process was followed and that the action had nothing to do with the former lecturer’s participation in the university’s vice chancellorship contest.
Speaking during a mid-term media briefing at the Vice Chancellor’s Conference Room on the Igbariam campus, Omenugha said she could not be vilified for taking decisive action against corruption, sexual misconduct, and professional negligence within the institution.
Prof. Osegbue was among five staff members recently dismissed by the university’s Governing Council over various allegations, including sexual misconduct, extortion, intimidation, gross professional negligence, and abandonment of duty.
According to a statement by the university’s Public Relations Officer, Dr. Harrison Madubueze, Osegbue, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, was dismissed for abandoning his official duties without authorization or justification.
Responding to claims that Osegbue was targeted because he contested the vice chancellorship position against her, Omenugha described the allegation as false and misleading.
She explained that Osegbue repeatedly failed to teach his postgraduate students, prompting his Head of Department to issue him a query.
Rather than responding to the allegations, she said, he allegedly used the opportunity to insult both the Vice Chancellor’s office and the Governor of the state.
“Prof. Osegbue had students preparing for their Master’s programme in Political Science, yet he never appeared to teach them.
“When his Head of Department queried him, he responded with insults directed at me and the Governor, insisting that the university had no Vice Chancellor,” she said.
She added that after the Registrar also issued him a query, he responded in a similar manner.
A disciplinary panel was subsequently constituted, but Osegbue allegedly failed to appear before it despite being invited.
“The panel concluded its investigation and forwarded its recommendations to the Governing Council, which approved his dismissal.
The Council still granted him 30 days to appeal the decision, and that opportunity remains open,” she stated.
Omenugha argued that the claim of victimization was baseless, noting that other individuals who contested the vice chancellorship alongside her continue to serve in strategic positions under her administration.
“If Prof. Osegbue was dismissed because he contested against me, why are the other contestants still working with my administration and occupying key offices?” she asked.
Highlighting her credentials, the Vice Chancellor said her extensive academic and administrative experience clearly distinguished her during the selection process.
“I served as Acting Vice Chancellor, Head of Department and Director in a federal university, Commissioner for Education in Anambra State for eight years, and also served the Presidency in various capacities. I equally have over 800 academic citations. Anyone should compare my record with his and judge whether he truly stood a chance in that contest,” she said.
Omenugha maintained that her administration remains committed to sanitizing the university system, stressing that disciplinary actions are guided strictly by established procedures rather than personal grievances.
“Nobody can vilify me for sacking corrupt lecturers and those who sexually assault students.
“This is a battle previous administrations could not muster the courage to fight. I deserve encouragement, not condemnation, for doing the right thing,” she declared.
She further revealed that the university’s alumni association had commended her administration’s reform efforts, describing the gesture as motivation to sustain the ongoing drive to restore discipline and integrity within the institution.
“We cannot dismiss anyone out of personal vendetta.
“There are laid-down procedures for disciplining lecturers, and every one of those procedures was duly followed,” she emphasized.
Earlier, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Dr. Harrison Madubueze, conducted journalists on a tour of ongoing infrastructure projects across the institution as part of activities marking the Vice Chancellor’s mid-term media briefing.
Tags: COOU, Prof. Kate Omenugha, Education, Anambra
