The Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, has announced the appointment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor, one year after President Bola Tinubu, in his capacity as Visitor to all federal universities, reversed the selection of Prof. Bernard Odoh over controversies surrounding the recruitment process and questions about his academic credentials.
Odoh’s appointment had drawn strong objections from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the university’s chapter of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, which described the process as irregular and prejudicial, noting that the matter was already before the courts.
At a press briefing in Abuja, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Olugbenga Kukoyi, announced Prof. Bond Anyaechie as the new Vice-Chancellor, describing his emergence as the outcome of a “thorough, transparent, and merit-driven process.”
“I am pleased to announce Professor Bond Anyaechie as the substantive Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University after a thorough and transparent process,” Kukoyi said.
Anyaechie, a specialist in Medical Physiology and Clinical Measurement, has nearly two decades of teaching and administrative experience at the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus.
He obtained his MBBS from Abia State University in 1998, followed by a master’s degree in 2004, a PhD in 2009, and a Master of Public Health in 2011.
Anyaechie began his academic career in 2002 as a part-time lecturer at the College of Medicine, Imo State University, later becoming a full-time lecturer. He joined the University of Nigeria’s College of Medicine in 2007, rose to the rank of Reader, and became a Professor of Physiology and Clinical Measurement in 2013.
He served as Deputy Provost of the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, from 2018 to 2022. He was also Acting Provost of the College of Medicine, Imo State University, and a visiting professor between 2020 and 2022, serving on a pro bono basis.
