By Law Mefor
Many well-meaning Nigerians have been outraged by Prof. Chidi Anslem Odinkalu’s unguarded attacks against Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR. To clarify, Odinkalu is the immediate past pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing council of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU). Is it that Odinkalu sees his removal as unjustified or is there more to it? Criticism should be fair and constructive. Otherwise, it becomes rabblerousing. Deconstructing and reconstructing Prof. Odinkalu’s tirades against Governor Soludo is necessary to understand the context and implications of his unguarded statements.
Ordinarily, only someone denied access to power writes an open letter. In the case of Odinkalu, he’s somebody Soludo brought close based on the apparent reputation of being obsessed with positive change and a better society. But the opportunities offered Odinkalu by Soludo proved that the presumed reputation upon which those appointments were made was quite misplaced. Such a situation sometimes happens, especially when an activist assumes an executive responsibility, like in the case of Prof. Odinkalu. Talk, they say, is cheap.
Prof. Odinkalu struggled to fulfil his responsibilities as pro-chancellor and chairman of the university council, which had been entrusted to him by Governor Soludo, leading to the governor's decision to remove him. The tasks of pro-chancellor and chairman of the council are fairly straightforward. It just requires managerial experience and knowledge of how universities are run in contemporary times.
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) was founded by the late Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju, of blessed memory. Since the establishment of the premier state university, no significant improvement had taken place at its Uli campus until the citadel’s current visitor (Prof. Soludo) visited the place. Since the university's founding at Uli, the national grid has not supplied any electricity. The school ran on gensets that weren’t even functional. The roads leading into the school and within the university were dirty and untarred. Meanwhile, Professor Odinkalu’s council was in place and between 2024 and 2026 presented no case to the government for the improvement of the school.
Governor Soludo's visit to COOU was necessary for intervention, and as a result, the university now has electricity, water supply, tarred roads, WiFi access, and other improvements. The Solution Governor has committed over N5 billion so far to the improvement of the state university following Governor Soludo’s visits.
The point is that it was essentially the duty of the university council led by Odinkalu to bring up the institution's needs to the government for remediation. Such discussions never happened in the two years that Odinkalu was in the saddle. With an activist like Odinkalu as council chairman, one can easily see that talk is cheap, and work seems effortless, especially when it is being done by somebody else.
Governor Soludo offers appointments without regard to the appointees’ place of origin. He is only interested in performance and merit. He’s, of course, not afraid to offload any non-performer. Odinkalu was removed from COOU for poor performance. Leaving him in the position would have meant the university would continue to stagnate under his watch. Meanwhile, recently, after his removal, he remarked that COOU had no electricity, i.e., access to the national grid. But the question is, during your time as pro-chancellor and chairman of the council between [2024 - 2026], what actions did you take? What prevented the council from addressing the university's needs during his leadership?
When Governor Soludo raised the crucial issue of Ndigbo needing to be more strategic in their engagement with Nigeria, as they contribute about eight percent to Nigeria’s GDP, Odinkalu twisted Soludo’s words to make it seem as if he said Nigeria does not need Ndigbo. The truth is far from what he claims.
Facts remain true regardless of whether they favour us. By calling Soludo’s statement 'insensitive', Odinkalu is engaging in political manoeuvring that amounts to emotional blackmail. If Odinkalu feels that Soludo’s data is wrong, let him challenge it, and if the data is right, the argument should be centred on how the Southeast can grow from eight percent to 20 percent and not on shutting the governor up.
The fact is, Odinkalu thrives on outrage, not solutions. He has established his brand as an activist who consistently seeks to speak truth to power. But critique without data or solutions is just noise-making and empty rhetoric, as seen in this case.
There are two issues contained in Soludo’s advice: more than half of Southeast investments are outside the zone. Additionally, as an itinerant ethnic group, Ndigbo cannot afford to dismiss the rest of Nigeria, as both groups need each other.
Odinkalu even went to the utterly ridiculous extent of claiming that he heard from unnamed sources that Soludo’s Special Adviser on Homeland Security and leader of Agunechemba was having sexual indiscretions with the wife of the incarcerated fake native doctor known as Akwa Okuko Tiwara Aki. Odinkalu's puerile statement aims to undermine one of the five pillars of the Solution Government, which is security, law, and order. Soludo remained steadfast in his usual constructive manner while the investigation cleared the head of Agunechemba of any wrongdoing. Odinkalu ignored the invitation of the investigative panel and failed to supply any evidence whatsoever. He was more interested in muddying. Such a hollow and false accusation is particularly surprising coming from a professor of law!
The families maligned are now threatening legal action against Professor Odinkalu.
To be honest, Odinkalu's banal tirades since his necessary dismissal from COOU are an attempt to cover up the reasons for his ouster. Odinkalu cannot hide behind a finger forever. He failed woefully at COOU. He undertook a sham screening process for the selection of the vice-chancellor of COOU. It was the forte of Odinkalu to do away with meritocracy, fairness, and truth in the VC selection process. Mr Governor had to step in to protect COOU's reputation as a rising citadel of learning. Odinkalu is now vocally opposing Governor Soludo in every possible way because he was thwarted in his attempt to install a crony.
The English playwright, William Congreve wrote in his play, The Mourning Bride, "Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned.” Odinkalu, like this woman, is grappling with the appointment and popularity of Prof. Kate Azuka Omenugha as the fifth substantive vice-chancellor of COOU. In his anger, Odinkalu is venting his frustrations by fighting imaginary battles.
Odinkalu's choice of the unqualified candidate, Prof. Chike Osegbue, is widely known. Prof. Osegbue's credentials for the vice-chancellor position include academic output, leadership, administrative skills, and relevant experience.
For starters, Google Scholar citations of Prof. Osegbue and the then-acting vice-chancellor, Prof. Kate Omenugha, are like the difference between light and day. Osegbue has only about 37 citations, while Omenugha has over 850 citations. There are fresh master's graduates who have more publications and citations than Odinkalu’s Osegbue. Odinkalu's insistence that such a foundational academic credential is irrelevant in the selection still boggles one’s imagination and speaks volumes.
Prof. Odinkalu's dismal tenure as COOU pro-chancellor was divisive and dictatorial, contradicting the ideals of the Ivory Tower, making his removal a welcome departure. There were scandals like hedging one group against another. And even sex-for-marks scandals erupted during his days as pro-chancellor, which Odinkalu and his council did nothing about.
* Law Mefor, PhD, is the Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation.