Who is the Fifth Columnist? Unraveling the Intrigues and the Unseen
Forces Behind the Saga of Professor Bernard Odoh and Federal
University Gusau.
The unfolding drama surrounding Professor Bernard Odoh’s appointment, promotion, and
eventual vilification by the Registrar of the Federal University Gusau (FUGUS) is a labyrinth of
political intrigue, systemic manipulation, and questionable motives which has raised numerous
questions that demand public scrutiny. This multifaceted controversy, which involves allegations of
fraudulent employment, systemic irregularities, and potential political interference, is more than an
academic dispute. It exposes the underbelly of institutional corruption, political machinations, and
personal vendettas. In a nation already grappling/struggling with institutional integrity, the emergence
of such a scandal is a cause for deep reflection. In the Nigerian tradition of asking, “Who is the fifth
columnist behind these maneuvers?”, the answers to these questions may illuminate hidden truths.
Who are the faceless actors pulling the strings? What are their motives? Who stands to gain? Who
is the architect of this elaborate campaign against Professor Odoh, and why?
The Registrar’s Allegations: A Hatchet Job or a Search for Truth?
The Registrar of FUGUS has made sweeping allegations, claiming that Professor Bernard
Odoh’s employment and subsequent appointment as a professor were fraudulent. However, his
accusations raise far more questions than they answer.
Former university officials, including the previous Vice-Chancellor and Registrar, have sworn affidavits in
court affirming that Professor Odoh’s employment and promotion followed due process. External
assessors of high repute, including Professor P.O. Okeke, have similarly deposed that Odoh’s credentials
were thoroughly assessed before his promotion. So, one may want to ask, why is the current Registrar
challenging the integrity of these processes? Is he accusing the previous administration of fraud, or is he
acting under external pressure? Could this be an attempt to rewrite history and discredit respected
professionals who vouched for Odoh? However, it is worthwhile to note here that investigations have also
shown that Professor Odoh had a staff number of 048 during his time with the University.
2. Desperation to Implicate Odoh?
Recorded conversations suggest that FUGUS may have employed Odoh to bolster their accreditation
prospects. Did the university exploit his rich academic profile to secure National Universities Commission
(NUC) accreditation for programs they were otherwise unqualified for? If so, was Odoh merely a pawn in a
larger institutional scheme? Did the institution willingly hire him to enhance its credibility, only to discard
him when he sought leave of absence to serve as Secretary to the Ebonyi State Government? The
Registrar also claims that salary payments made to Odoh during his tenure were fraudulent. However, these payments, processed through the Federal Government’s NIBBS Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) under the CBN explicitly stated “Salary from Federal University Gusau” as the payment description. Can Odoh, as an individual, manipulate the NEFT records which came directly from the Federal government and overseen by the CBN? This raises a critical question: is the Registrar attempting to cover up his own institution’s actions by shifting blame onto Odoh?
3. Tampering with Employment Records?
The Registrar had earlier stated that Odoh’s employment records are missing from key university departments. However, payroll records, typically the last point of record-keeping for employees, clearly show Odoh’s employment. Did the Registrar deliberately tamper with or withhold these files? If so, at whose behest?
4. Who is Funding the Registrar?
The Registrar’s actions appear unusually determined, inflammatory, too coordinated and targeted to be purely coincidental. Is he acting independently, or is he being manipulated by unseen externalforces? Who is paying him to execute what increasingly looks like a hatchet job? Is there a fifth columnist bankrolling this smear campaign against Professor Odoh?
The Minister of Education and the Permanent Secretary: Allies or Saboteurs?
The role of the Federal Ministry of Education in this crisis is equally questionable. Both the Minister of Education and the Permanent Secretary have made decisions that suggest ulterior motives.
1. A Dubious Acting Vice-Chancellor
The Minister’s apparent urgency to reappoint an acting Vice-Chancellor facing allegations of plagiarism has raised concerns about his impartiality. Is this a case of professional loyalty among medical doctors (as both the Minister and the Acting VC share a medical background), or is there a deeper, more personal connection at play?
2. Defiance of Legal Directives
Despite receiving formal invitations and a court order to participate in the appointment process for a substantive VC, the Permanent Secretary allegedly refused to send representatives to the election. This defiance undermines the legal framework governing university appointments. Is the Permanent Secretary deliberately sabotaging the process to protect vested interests? Was this an act of defiance, or is it evidence of ulterior motives? Is there an unseen agenda to disrupt due process and undermine Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe, the Council Chairman?
3. Are the Ministry officials complicit in the Registrar’s actions?
The Registrar’s inflammatory statements and questionable conduct suggest he may be acting under instruction of external influence. Has the Minister and Permanent Secretary been in contact with the Registrar, encouraging him to act beyond the boundaries of professionalism? Is this an orchestrated campaign involving both Ministry officials and university personnel? Are they leveraging his position to execute a coordinated attack on Professor Odoh and the university’s leadership?
Who is Professor Bernard Odoh? Victim or Villain?
1. Why FUGUS?
Why did a man of Odoh’s academic standing choose FUGUS, a relatively young institution, over more established universities? Was his decision motivated by a genuine desire to contribute to the university’s growth, or was he swayed by other factors?
2. Was his appointment legitimate?
Court-certified documents and sworn statements from external assessors confirm that Odoh’s promotion to professor followed all due processes. External assessors of high standing evaluated his credentials and his employment records remain intact in the university’s payroll. If this is the case, why is he being accused of fraud? Could Odoh have manipulated these processes singlehandedly? Your guess is as good as ours.
3. Was Odoh betrayed by the university?
Recorded conversations reveal that the university may have employed Odoh primarily to bolster its accreditation prospects. If true, this casts him as a victim of an opportunistic institution that used and discarded him when it was convenient.
4. Is Odoh being targeted for political reasons?
Odoh’s political career may hold clues to his current predicament. His tenure as Secretary to the Ebonyi State Government (SSG) and his subsequent resignation set him on a collision course with powerful figures in his home state. His decision to run for governor under the APC against his former boss, Governor Dave Umahi in the 2019 gubernatorial race, adds a layer of political animosity to this saga. Could this have made him a target of powerful political figures seeking to settle old scores?Is this scandal a calculated attempt to neutralize him politically? Recall that as SSG and guber candidate in the governorship elections in 2023, there were over eleven assassination attempts on Professor Odoh’s life, leading to the loss of lives of twenty-eight loyalists of his. These were all killed and weren’t accounted for.
The Role of Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe and the UNIZIK Council
As Chairman of the UNIZIK Council, Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe has been dragged into this controversy for overseeing the appointment process for a substantive VC.
1. Court-Ordered Appointments
Acting under a valid court order mandating them to proceed, Mbadiwe’s council proceeded with the election and appointments. Yet, this decision has been met with resistance from the Ministry of Education, whose apparent lack of cooperation raises questions. Are they challenging the authority of the judiciary, or do they have something to hide? Was the Council wrong to obey a legal directive?
2. Is Mbadiwe being targeted for his independence?
The Council’s decision to follow due process has made them a target of Ministry officials. Could this be an attempt to discredit Mbadiwe and the Council for refusing to bow to external pressures?
3. Targeting the Registrar
The Ministry’s alleged attempts to sack UNIZIK’s Registrar suggests a broader agenda. Are these efforts part of a larger scheme to undo the Mbadiwe-led Council’s decisions?
Ebonyi State Politics: The Home Front Factor
Odoh’s political affiliations and actions in his home state may provide a crucial piece of the puzzle.
1. Resignation and Political Ambition
The roots of this saga may lie closer to home. Professor Odoh’s political trajectory in Ebonyi State, including his fallout with his former boss, Governor Dave Umahi and his gubernatorial ambitions under the APC, may have made him a target for powerful adversaries. Did this defiance make him a target of Umahi’s political machinery?
a. Is Governor Umahi the fifth columnist?
As a minister with significant influence and resources, could Umahi be orchestrating this campaign to neutralize Odoh as a political threat?
b. Is Odoh’s village behind his woes?
The infamous Nigerian adage “His village people don visit am,” comes to mind as well. Could local political forces in Ebonyi be collaborating with external actors to neutralize Odoh as a political threat?
The Villa
In Mario Puzo’s story, The Last Don, the character Crux said, ‘How can a common criminal get close to Pipi De Lenna, the family harmer? Did the Don want Pipi dead?’. Or, as it turned out in ‘The Last Don’, was it a Dante, the Don’s grandson that ordered the hit on best family harmer?
In faraway Rio de Nairo, the spokesman of the President, Mr. Bayo Onanuga announced the sacking of the council of UNIZIK and the VC. Does that make it clear to Nigerians that the President approved the sacking?
It is pertinent to point out that the council chairman of UNIZIK is from Imo state and the only
nomination of Governor Hope Uzodinma among all universities’ council chairs. Maybe the VC is
also a boy to the Imo state Governor, can you imagine?
Sacking the council chairman of UNIZIK in this manner is a total disregard and an affront to the
person and sacrifices of Governor Hope Uzodinma to the Party. Governor Uzodinma has given so much to the APC despite the series of humiliations and at least deserves some level of regard
especially on a sensitive issue such as this one. His sacrificial contributions to the successes of
the Edo Gubernatorial primaries and the Ondo gubernatorial elections in favour of the APC to
mention a few are strides that should not just be treated with a wave of the hand.
Permit me to reiterate here that the removal of the Mbadiwe-led Governing council is a total disregard and an affront on university autonomy and academic foundations.
The Questions That Demand Answers
At the heart of these crisis are the following pressing questions:
a. Who is the fifth columnist orchestrating this campaign of calumny?
b. What vested interests are the Minister of Education and Permanent Secretary defending?
c. Why is the Registrar implicating his institution and predecessors in his desperate bid to
discredit Professor Odoh?
d. Is this about institutional integrity, or is it a coordinated/politically motivated attack on
Professor Odoh?
The Nigerian people deserve answers, and therefore demand accountability from all parties involved. It becomes glaring and as clear as day that this is more than an academic dispute. It is a reflection of systemic dysfunction and the perils of unchecked power. This is not just about Professor Odoh but about the future of our institutions, our judiciary, our democracy and the integrity of the nation.
Let the truth prevail
