The National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Calabar, on July 23, 2025, issued a restraining order against the University of Calabar (UNICAL) and its Governing Council, halting the ongoing process of selecting a new Vice-Chancellor. The court directed all involved parties to maintain the status quo to prevent any interference with the fair hearing of the matter. The case, filed by Professor Joseph Eyo Duke under Suit No. NICN/CA/40/2025, challenges a requirement in the May 27 advertisement mandating that applicants must have at least ten years of post-professorial experience. The matter is now scheduled for hearing on August 7, 2025, at the Abuja Division.
Professor Duke contends that the eligibility criterion was introduced during an emergency council meeting on March 25, 2025, which he claims was unlawfully convened and lacked any regulatory foundation. His motion ex-parte, filed on July 21, 2025, sought an interim injunction to stop the enforcement of the controversial requirement pending a full hearing. Hon. Justice Sanusi Kado granted an accelerated hearing for both the motion and the substantive suit and ordered the case be transferred to Abuja for adjudication by a vacation judge.
The court order, signed by Registrar Egba Juliet Peter, clearly prohibits UNICAL and its Governing Council from continuing with the selection process until the matter is resolved. This development has effectively stalled the university’s succession timeline, which aimed to appoint a new Vice-Chancellor by December 2025. Professor Duke and others argue that UNICAL has traditionally required only five to nine years of professorial experience, They said, Prof. Ivara Esu (2000) was five years, Prof. Bassey Asuquo (2005) five years, Prof. James Epoke (2010) seven years, Prof. Zana Akpagu (2015) seven years and Prof. Florence Obi (the incumbent) (2020) nine years.
~Joseph Ajaba
