MOUAU Recruitment Controversy: Save Us – Disengaged Workers Appeal To FG

The last may not have been heard regarding the current recruitment controversy in Michael Okpara Universuty of Agriculture, Umudike as a group of 127 disengaged employees of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), has accused the current university administration of substituting their names after a change in leadership.

The 127 affected workers who made the allegations while briefing Journalists in Umuahia on Monday the affected workers, lamented that the alleged substitution resulted in the termination of appointments lawfully secured.

Making their position known through their spokesperson, Comrade Eze Ejikeme, the workers said they were duly recruited, issued appointment letters dated 14th January 2026 and staff identity cards, adding that they completed all employment requirements before they were disengaged.

They workers pointed out there were reasons to suspect that the current administration under Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, replaced the names of some of the newly recruited staff after assuming office.

“We were captured and completed every stage of the recruitment process. But we are sensing that the new administration substituted the names of some of the new staff. The immediate past Vice-Chancellor obtained approval to recruit. We legally got these jobs and we merited them. We are calling on Nigerians to come to our aid and ensure our reinstatement,” the group appealed.

While disclosing that the recruitment exercise, which lasted about three weeks, was poorly coordinated, leading to prolonged delays and hardship that saw many applicants forced to sleep in campus halls, comrade Ejikeme stated tha others spent weeks in hotels at their own expense to complete the exercise.

He further alleged that during a meeting with the university management, affected staff were compelled to surrender their identity cards and sign disengagement letters under duress.

According to their spokesperson, security personnel prevented some workers from leaving the venue until they signed the documents and handed over their ID cards.

The group’s spokesman made it clear that the disengaged workers were not seeking compensation but their immediate reinstatement, including payment of all outstanding salaries and entitlements having worked for five months.

In their contributions, Roseline Okpechi and Nwaike Gospel, made public that they completed all employment formalities, including registration on the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), before receiving appointment letters and staff identity cards.

While describing their disengagement as unjust, the duo noted that some of them resigned from previous employment to accept the appointments, adding that others suffered personal losses during the recruitment process.

They therefore appealed to the Federal Government and other relevant authorities to intervene and ensure they are restored to their positions.

Recall, the VC MOUAU, Prof. Akanwa has consistently maintained that the recruitment exercise was concluded before she assumed office.

According to her the previous administration recruited more personnel than the 426 positions approved by the Federal Government, stressing that only candidates within the approved quota were eligible for salary payment.

She made it clear that applicants who did not receive their first salaries should understand that they were not among the approved 426 employees.

Meanwhile, the University Authorities are yet to react to the latest allegations.