Tony Okafor, Awka

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, has applauded the appointment of rights activist Comrade Aloysius Emeka Attah as Director of Information and Public Relations of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, UNIZIK, while rejecting the appointment of Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah as Chancellor of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, COOU, and condemning the renaming of the institution’s Uli campus after former governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju.

In a statement issued on Wednesday in Onitsha, signed by its Board Chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi, the group described Attah’s ratification by UNIZIK’s Governing Council on April 17 as meritorious, citing his longstanding record in grassroots human rights advocacy, journalism, and public engagement.

The statement was jointly signed by Umeagbalasi; Chidinma Evangeline Udegbunam, human rights lawyer and Head of Campaign and Publicity; Obianuju Joy Igboeli, human rights lawyer and Head of Civil Liberties and Rule of Law; and Comrade Chibueze Nwajiaku, Deputy Head of Policing and Law Enforcement.

It noted that Attah emerged from Onitsha’s trading community in the late 1990s and rose through the ranks of civil society activism under Umeagbalasi’s mentorship, contributing significantly to the activities of the Civil Liberties Organisation in Anambra State during the 2000s.

The organisation said Attah’s academic and professional trajectory, which includes a first degree from UNIZIK and a master’s from COOU, reflects “grassroots intellectualism.”

It added that several activists from the Onitsha business community have similarly combined enterprise, education, and advocacy to attain academic and professional distinction.

Intersociety argued that such developments challenge long-standing stereotypes about traders and non-traditional scholars, insisting that activism has evolved into a platform for rigorous research, data gathering, and public policy engagement.

The group, however, expressed strong opposition to the appointment of Bishop Kukah as Chancellor of COOU, contending that he had not done enough to address insecurity and violence against Christians in Nigeria despite his influence and access to political authorities.

It said its position was based on what it described as a pattern of perceived inaction during critical periods, noting that critics had also questioned his multiple high-level appointments in both federal and state institutions.

Intersociety further rejected the decision to rename the Uli campus of COOU after Mbadinuju, maintaining that the university, already renamed in honour of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, should retain a unified identity across its campuses.

It argued that any attempt to assign separate names to individual campuses undermines the historical and symbolic significance of the institution, while also criticising the record of governance in Anambra State between 1999 and 2003 under Mbadinuju.

At the same time, Intersociety commended Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo for approving automatic employment for 37 first-class graduates of COOU, describing the move as commendable but urging that the appointments be made permanent in accordance with the state’s civil service rules.

It cautioned that the initiative should not be reduced to temporary political patronage tied to the tenure of the current administration, stressing the need for full integration of the beneficiaries into the civil service structure with guaranteed rights and career progression.