THE Vice Chancellor, University of Delta, Agbor, Prof Stella Chiemeke, has called on lecturers in the university to set aside ethnicity and nepotism in their voting decisions in all elections in the institution in order to encourage the emergence of university officials who have the capacity to move the university forward.
The Vice Chancellor made the call, yesterday, in her remarks during the election of a new Dean in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Owa-Alero Campus of the university.
The university chief executive, who was represented by Prof (Mrs) Regina Arisi, declared that the institution will continue to uphold the principle of free and fair elections of deans of faculties as approved by the Governing Council.
Prof Chiemeke described periodic elections of deans as a standard democratic practice of universities, which gives lecturers opportunity to choose their deans and hold them accountable. She thanked the two contestants, Prof Ben Agoha of Psychology Department and Prof Patrick Ijeh of Mass Communication Department, as well as other lecturers in the faculty for going about the campaigns for the election without rancor and called on the larger society to imitate same so that general elections in Nigeria can be conducted in a cordial atmosphere.
In a welcome address at the occasion, the outgoing Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof Alexander Obidike Naiho, thanked the Vice Chancellor for approving the election in addition to coming to monitor its conduct. He equally thanked the contestants for their high display of maturity and camaraderie and called on all faculty members to extend the same support he received from them to whoever emerges as dean to sustain the faculty‘s quest to be at the forefront of efficiency in teaching, research and community service.
At the end of voting, the Vice Chancellor, who monitored the election through Prof (Mrs) Arisi, announced that Prof Ijeh polled 31 votes ahead of Prof Agoha, who polled 15 votes. She subsequently announced Prof Patrick Ijeh of Mass Communication as the winner and declared him Dean-elect of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Delta, Agbor.
The election, which was the first in the history of the faculty, was witnessed by two internal members of the Governing Council of the University of Delta, Agbor, Dr Pally Ejime Agidi and Dr Ferdinand Iweriebor, among others.
