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University of Calabar appoints first-ever female VC
By Emmanuel Awosika
The University of Calabar has appointed a Professor Florence Obi as Vice-Chancellor, making this the first a woman has held the post in the University’s 45-year history.
Announcing the appointment, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of UNICAL, said Obi had emerged victorious afte scaling through the rigorous screening process.
Obi takes over from Professor Prof. Zana Akpagu, whose term will end on November 30, 2020.
According to Nwaogu, the selection was based on several parameters contained in the Ministry of Education’s guidelines for selecting the Vice Chancellor.
She stated, “You can see the tranquility in this governing council. What we assured the university community is that we were going to be transparent, open, fair, and just.
“There is a guideline from the Ministry of Education as to how to conduct interview for the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor. There are so many parameters we had to look into and that is exactly what we did.”
The Pro-Chancellor congratulated the new VC, whom she described as an “astute educational icon”, and prayed for success in her tenure.
“What I expect from her is to look at what the outgoing Vice-Chancellor has done, governance is a continuum, start from where he has stopped and ensure there is integration even amongst all the people that contested with her,” Nwaogu said of the new VC.
On her part, Professor Obi promised to make her administration as inclusive as possible.
Her words: “I’m happy and return all the glory to God. I have just received my appointment letter from the 12th Council as Vice Chancellor-elect. The process was free and fair, and I promise to run an inclusive administration.”
Prior to her appointment, Obi was Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Administration and is a former Commissioner for Women Affairs in Cross River State.
