Ukorebi Esien | July 27, 2025
CALABAR — The University of Calabar's search for a new Vice-Chancellor has been put on hold following an interim order issued by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) sitting in Calabar.
In a suit marked NICN/CA/40/2025, Professor Joseph Eyo Duke is challenging the eligibility criteria set out in a public advertisement published on May 27, 2025, which mandates applicants to have a minimum of 10 years of post-professorial experience. The claimant contends that the requirement, stemming from an emergency Governing Council meeting on March 25, 2025, is unlawful and based on a regulation that does not exist.
In an ex-parte motion filed on July 23, 2025, Prof. Duke, through his counsel Ubong Akpan, Esq., sought to restrain UNICAL and its Governing Council from continuing with the selection process. Granting the motion, Hon. Justice Sanusi Kado ordered a halt to all proceedings related to the Vice-Chancellor appointment pending the hearing of the substantive matter.
The case has been transferred to the Abuja Division of the NICN for continuation during the court's vacation period, with August 7, 2025, set for hearing the motion on notice. Justice Kado further instructed all parties to maintain the status quo to ensure fair adjudication.
The registrar of the NICN, Egba Juliet Peter, formally signed and sealed the restraining order, which effectively suspends UNICAL's succession timeline originally aimed at concluding before the current Vice-Chancellor's tenure expires in December 2025.
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