Human Rights Group Opposes Renaming Of Ojukwu Campus, Criticises Appointment Of Bishop Kukah As Chancellor

By On Apr 29, 2026

An Onitsha based human rights group, The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has rejected the renaming of Uli campus of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) after former Governor Christian Chinweoke Mbadinuju.

The group in a statement by its leadership, led by Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi who is the Board of Trustees Chairman said it was wrong for Soludo to start renaming campuses of the university after other people, when the entire university and its campuses had been named after Igbo leader, Ojukwu.

The group also rejected the recent appointment of Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah as the Chancellor of the university, citing his “continued silence in the face of grisly attacks on Christians in the North”.

Part of Intersociety’s statement read: “It is recalled that the Anambra State University was established under former Governor Mbadinuju through State House of Assembly Law No 13 of 2000 and was later renamed “Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu University, Anambra State” through a Law passed by the State House of Assembly on Sept 11, 2014, under Peter Obi as Governor.

“Therefore, having been popularly renamed after the Igbo Leader and Eze Igbo Gburugburu, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the University and its three campuses at Igbariam, Uli and Awka is incapable of being given another name including any of its campuses.

“The name of the University must irrevocably remain “Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu University, Anambra State”. Anything in the contrary is a mere academic exercise or effort in futility that cannot stand the test of time.”

On the appointment of Kukah, Intersociety said: “While we hold no grudges against Bishop Hassan Kukah, our gathered statistics on jihadists’ grisly attacks on Christians across Nigeria have continued to indicate that he did not do enough especially by failing to use his vast links to various State and Federal Governments and their political and coercive establishments since 1999 including the present Central Government since 2023 to get them act decisively to protect persecuted Christians.

“Critics say he abandoned his fellow Catholic Faithful and other Christians when he was needed most since Oct 2025.

“Father Kukah is also found to be the only Catholic Bishop, out of more than 65 serving others, made Pro Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Government’s Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia, Kaduna since March 17, 2025 and the Chancellor of the Anambra State Government owned Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu University since April 22, 2026.”

Meanwhile, the group commended the appointment of journalist and human rights activist, Mr Aloysius Emeka Attah of Sun Newspapers as Director of Communication of Nnamdi Azikiwe University. It also commended the automatic employment of 37 first class graduates of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University and the awarding of scholarships to them.

“We are urging Comrade Attah to remain a good ambassador of the Anambra School of Human Rights and Democracy Activism. We not only wish him good luck as prestigious UNIZIK Director of Information and Public Relations, but also wish to see him becoming a Doctorate Degree holder and a Professor in no distant future.

“Soludo is commended for offering automatic employment to the 2026 First Class Graduates of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu University, numbering 37. This commendation is strictly subject to such automatic employment being offered and implemented in full compliance with Anambra State Civil Service Rules especially ensuring that such employment is not revoked after the tenure of the present Government.

“In other words, the Professor Charles Soludo-led Government of the State should ensure that the affected beneficiaries are permanently employed, remunerated and accorded all the rights and privileges as career civil servants under the existing State Civil Service Rules.”

David-Chyddy Eleke