Nekede Poly Rector Igbokwe Leads Push for Rule of Law, Accountability in Higher Institutions

The Rector of Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Dr. Basilia Igbokwe, has called for stronger adherence to the rule of law, due process and accountability in the administration of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, stressing that institutional authority must operate within clearly defined legal frameworks.

Dr. Igbokwe spoke at the Polytechnic’s Third Public Lecture Series, held on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at its 1, 000-Capacity Auditorium, with the theme, “The Role of Law in Higher Institution Administration in Nigeria.”

The Rector said the lecture was deliberately conceived to bring legal minds and administrators together, deepen legal awareness among staff and students, as well as strengthen the academic image of the Polytechnic and enhance its visibility within the global academic environment.

“We want to enhance legal awareness among staff and students, protect the academic image of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, and increase the visibility of the institution in the global academic environment,” Igbokwe said.

She urged participants to translate the lessons from the lecture into better institutional practices, adding: “Let us engage, learn and take away insights that will help us build a more law-abiding and administratively sound institution.”

Chairman of the occasion and former Minister of State for Education, Rt. Hon. Goodluck Nanah Opiah, said institutions function better when rules are clear, respected and applied through due process rather than personal considerations.

Hon. Opiah

“Law defines responsibilities. Policy gives direction. Administration translates both into action.”

He also argued that polytechnics should not be regarded as inferior to universities, stressing that Nigeria needs institutions capable of producing graduates who can design, build, install, maintain, fabricate, programme and innovate.

Delivering the keynote address, Very Rev. Prof. Maurice Izunwa, described law as “the architecture of administration,” insisting that institutional authority derives its legitimacy from compliance with established laws and procedures.

Prof. Izunwa

Izunwa particularly highlighted the imbalance of power within tertiary institutions, noting that law becomes most important when one person or body exercises authority over another whether Council over Management, Management over staff, lecturers over students or disciplinary panels over those appearing before them.

He maintained that Rectors, Vice-Chancellors, Registrars, Deans, Directors, Heads of Department and Governing Councils must exercise their powers “according to law, through law, in law, with law and under the law.”

The Public Lecturer and Principal Assistant Registrar (Legal) of the Polytechnic, Barr. Chukwuneke Anagbogu examined gaps and differences in the laws governing universities and polytechnics, particularly in the areas of appointments, Governing Council composition, staff and student discipline, collective agreements, retirement, data protection and institutional decision-making.

Barr. Anagbogu

Anagbogu warned that even where an institution believes it has strong grounds for disciplinary action, failure to observe fair hearing and statutory procedure could render such decisions vulnerable to judicial reversal.

He also called for stronger Legal Units in tertiary institutions through qualified personnel, continuous training, access to law reports and legal databases, as well as appropriate digital tools and better institutional support to reduce avoidable litigation and judgment debts.

During the panel session, legal practitioners drawn from across Imo State critiqued aspects of the lecture and raised concerns over inadequate, ambiguous or outdated provisions in some laws governing higher institutions.

The panelists also frowned at situations where administrators act as though institutional authority places them above the law, stressing that no Rector, Vice Chancellor, Governing Council or disciplinary body should operate outside the legal framework establishing and regulating the institution.

They called for periodic review of tertiary education laws to eliminate ambiguities and strengthen provisions relating to institutional autonomy, accountability, staff and student rights, digitalisation, artificial intelligence and data protection.

Earlier, Chairman of the Inaugural and Public Lecture Series Committee, Dr. Anayo Uhiara, said the programme reflected Management’s determination to institutionalise a vibrant culture of public and inaugural lectures capable of strengthening scholarship and repositioning Federal Polytechnic Nekede within Nigeria’s higher education system.

Dr. Uhiara

The event also featured the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Imo State, as Special Guest of Honour, alongside academics, administrators, legal practitioners, staff and students.