Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI), has concluded the election of new deans for the remaining six faculties of the institution, following a transparent and democratic process conducted by the university management.
The exercise, supervised by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Daniel Nwachukwu, produced new academic leaders for the Faculties of Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, Law, and Management Sciences.
The Vice-Chancellor is expected to appoint new deans into the faculties of Health and Allied Sciences, and Environmental Sciences due to the peculiar nature of the two faculties while the Faculty of Education deferred the appointment of its dean to the Vice-Chancellor after members rejected the sole nominee presented for the position.
In the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Fabian Ugwu emerged victorious in a keenly contested election involving three candidates, polling 71 votes out of 131 accredited voters to become the Dean-elect.
The Faculty of Management Sciences also witnessed an intense contest involving three candidates, with Prof. Otu Otu Akanu emerging victorious after securing 37 votes from the 87 accredited voters.
The Faculty of Physical Sciences also had a competitive election, with Prof. Okechukwu Pius Aghamelu securing 63 votes from 101 accredited voters to emerge Dean-elect.
The Faculty of Biological Sciences returned Prof. Chinedu Eliazu unopposed, securing all the 41 votes cast by 41 accredited voters. Similarly, Prof. Cyril Ume was elected unopposed as Dean-elect of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology after all 35 accredited voters who participated in the exercise cast their votes for him.
In the Faculty of Law, Prof. Sylvester Anya was elected Dean after polling 17 votes out of 18 accredited voters. The Faculty of Education, however, could not produce a Dean-elect as members of the faculty board rejected the sole nomine, Prof. Rosemary Igbo, with 70 votes out of 121 accredited voters, during the voting process. In line with the university’s regulations, the responsibility for appointing a dean for the faculty now rests with the Vice-Chancellor.
Addressing members of the various faculties after the elections, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Daniel Nwachukwu commended the staff for conducting themselves peacefully and professionally throughout the exercise. He described the elections as another demonstration of the university’s commitment to transparency, fairness, merit, and participatory governance.
He urged the Deans-elect to justify the confidence reposed in them by providing visionary and inclusive leadership that would strengthen teaching, research, innovation, and community service in their respective faculties,noting that working together with the members of their faculty would achieve more success and university goals.
He also assured members of the Faculties of Education, Allied and Health Sciences, and Environmental Sciences that the process for appointing their Deans would be handled in accordance with the university’s regulations and in the best interest of the faculties and the institution.
Prof. Fabian Ugwu, the Dean elect of the Faculty of Social Sciences, during his acceptance speech sincerely appreciated his colleagues for this overwhelming confidence, saying “I see this victory as a call to service rather than a personal achievement. I will lead with fairness, transparency, inclusiveness, and commitment to advancing academic excellence, research, and staff development”, he noted.
Prof. Okechukwu Pius Aghamelu of the Faculty of Physical Sciences, in his speech, thanked members of the faculty board for entrusting him with this responsibility. “Together, we shall build a stronger faculty through collaboration, innovation, quality teaching, and impactful research”, Prof. Aghamelu stated.
Prof. Chinedum Eleazu Faculty of Biological Sciences, in his acceptance speech noted that he’s deeply humbled by the unanimous support of the members of his faculty, pledging to justify the confidence through dedicated leadership that promotes excellence, unity, and continuous growth.
Prof. Cyril Ume Faculty of Engineering in his acceptance said “I will work with every member of the faculty to strengthen our academic programmes, research output, and industry partnerships for the overall development of the faculty”.
Prof. Sylvester Anya of Faculty of Law thanked his colleagues for the opportunity to serve, adding “My administration will focus on academic quality, collegiality, discipline, and creating an enabling environment for both staff and students.
Prof. Otu Otu Akanu, the Dean-Elect of the Faculty of Management Sciences expressed his gratitude for the support from his colleagues, and pledged to run an inclusive administration anchored on accountability, teamwork, innovation, and the pursuit of excellence in all the faculty activities.
