Disengaged MOUAU Workers Allege Name Substitution, Cry Out for Reinstatement

A group of 127 disengaged employees of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), has alleged that the current university administration substituted their names after a change in leadership, resulting in the termination of appointments they insist were lawfully secured.

Addressing newsmen in Umuahia today, the affected workers, through their spokesperson, Comrade Eze Ejikeme, claimed they were duly recruited, issued appointment letters dated 14th January 2026 and staff identity cards, and completed all employment requirements before they were disengaged.

According to Ejikeme, the workers 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,” he said.

He described the recruitment exercise, which lasted about three weeks, as poorly coordinated, alleging that only one computer was available for the biometric capturing of applicants, leading to prolonged delays and hardship.

He said many applicants were forced to sleep in campus halls, while others spent weeks in hotels at their own expense to complete the exercise.

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

He maintained 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.

Other affected staff, including Roseline Okpechi and Nwaike Gospel, said they completed all employment formalities, including registration on the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), before receiving appointment letters and staff identity cards.

They described their disengagement as unjust, noting that some of them resigned from previous employment to accept the appointments, while others suffered personal losses during the recruitment process.

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

The recruitment exercise at MOUAU has remained controversial. Prof. Akanwa has consistently maintained that the recruitment exercise was concluded before she assumed office and that her administration was not responsible for the process.

She has also stated that the previous administration recruited more personnel than the 426 positions approved by the Federal Government, explaining that only candidates within the approved quota were eligible for salary payment. According to her, applicants who did not receive their first salaries should understand that they were not among the approved 426 employees.

University sources said the disengagement was part of efforts to regularise the institution’s workforce after 553 candidates were captured during the recruitment exercise, exceeding the approved number of vacancies.