THE Governing Council of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has moved to reassure stakeholders that the ongoing process to appoint the institution’s next Vice-Chancellor will be transparent, fair, and merit-based, urging the public to disregard social media reports suggesting otherwise.
In a statement issued on Thursday made available to News Point Nigeria, and signed by Ibrahim Sheme, NOUN’s Director of Media and Publicity, the Council dismissed online speculations claiming that a potential candidate for the top job had been disqualified because their name was not included on a congregation list.
“The names of members on the so-called congregation list are not final and in no way represent the list of members qualified to be Vice-Chancellor. Indeed, the said name has been included in the congregation list,” the statement read.
The Governing Council clarified that the process of appointing a new Vice-Chancellor was still very much in progress, noting that the advertised deadline for applications has not yet been reached.
“The search for the next VC is therefore not foreclosed; it is a work in progress which continues until the advertised deadline is reached,” Sheme emphasised.
The clarification comes amid heightened interest in the selection process, as the office of the Vice-Chancellor remains one of the most influential positions in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
Reassuring staff, students, alumni, and other stakeholders, the Governing Council pledged that the selection process will be conducted with integrity, free from bias or undue influence.
“The Council hereby assures the University community that the selection process will be fair and just to all,” the statement said, urging the public to ignore what it described as publications aimed at stoking controversy and misinformation.
The search for a new Vice-Chancellor was formally declared open earlier this year, with NOUN placing advertisements in three national dailies inviting qualified candidates to submit applications.
The outgoing Vice-Chancellor is expected to hand over in the coming months, making this appointment crucial for the continuity of the university’s ambitious growth and reform agenda.
