MOUAU clears air on recruitment controversy, exonerates VC, blames past administration

The management of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) has defended its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ursula Akanwa, against allegations surrounding a controversial recruitment exercise. The university attributes the crisis to the immediate past administration for exceeding the approved recruitment quota.

According to MOUAU, Prof. Akanwa neither supervised nor influenced the recruitment process, as the exercise was concluded before she assumed office on March 1, 2026. The university also clarified that the Federal Government's payroll system, the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), handled the capture of successful candidates, not the university itself.

This clarification comes after concerns were raised by some affected workers who claimed they were recruited in February 2026 but had not received salaries. They alleged that their identity cards were retrieved and they were issued new letters labeling them as “Surplus to Needs,” creating uncertainty about their employment status.

Addressing journalists, the university’s Head of Public Relations and Protocol, Mr. Anyaso Anyaso, described attempts to link the current Vice-Chancellor to the controversy as deliberate misinformation. He explained that while the Federal Government approved 426 staff positions, the previous administration allegedly issued appointment letters to 618 individuals, with 553 names submitted for the GIFMIS platform. The Federal Government's payroll system only recognizes the officially approved 426 positions, leaving the additional recruits outside the system.

The university management dismissed claims that Prof. Akanwa removed names from the payroll, emphasizing that she has no access to the GIFMIS platform. They maintained that the current administration inherited the consequences of a recruitment exercise conducted beyond the approved quota and should not be held responsible for past decisions.

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The Vice-Chancellor has repeatedly stated that the recruitment exercise, including payroll capture, had already been concluded before she assumed office. Anyone seeking explanations should direct their enquiries to those who conducted the exercise.