Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu

The Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt Hon Benjamin  Kalu has been accused of  meddling in the politics for the selection of the next Deputy Vice Chancellor, DVC of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike , MOUAU as the current DVC, Prof Udo Herbert's tenure ends in a few weeks

Addressing newsmen in Umuahia, a political pressure group, Abia Renaissance for Good Governance, ARGG alleged that the Deputy Speaker working in concert with the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Maduebibisi Iwe, is  bent on imposing  one Prof. Ursla  Akanwa as the next DVC  against the wishes of the majority of the University Senate whose duty it is to elect such. 



ARGG’s Cordinator, Mazi Ikoro Kanu, alleged that  that the Deputy speaker who represents  Bende Federal Constituency in the House is dropping President Bola  Tinubu in “his sinister plot”

To scuttle the alleged plot, the group has called on the ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke who is a staff of MOUAU to resist any imposition and work in concert with other progressive minds to ensure that the university does not become an appendage of the office of the Deputy speaker.

The ARGG coordiantor argued that the annoying part of the plot is that the said Prof Akanwa hails from Imo state, implying that  Kalu wants to shortchange an Abia son who is even more qualified for the job.

Said he, “One of the two DVCs, Prof Udo Herbert’s tenure is ending in a few weeks’ time . The most qualified person to replace him should also be from Abia or any other state, but certainly not Imo since the other DVC, Prof Asawalam is already from Imo”

He described as unfortunate and disheartening that even when Kalu was told that Akanwa cannot be DVC or VC because she did not have a degree in agriculture as provided by the extant law, he was still insisting that she should be appointed.

 Kanu noted that although the front runner for the DVC post, Prof. S N Ukachukwu hails from the same village with the current Vice Chancellor, another person from Abia should be given the post.

He proffered  that the race for the DVC post was actually a rehearsal for the main contest for who should be the next vice-chancellor to succeed Prof  Iwe.

 Kanu noted with regret that both Kalu and other unnamed politicians were planning to turn MOUAU into a battle ground with the upcoming contest for the position DVC.