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

By Steve Oko

UMUAHIA — The management of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), has defended the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, against allegations surrounding the institution’s controversial recruitment exercise, attributing the crisis to the immediate past administration for exceeding the approved recruitment quota.

The university said Prof. Akanwa neither supervised nor influenced the recruitment process, insisting that the exercise had been concluded before she assumed office as Vice-Chancellor on March 1, 2026.

It also clarified that the capture of successful candidates on the Federal Government payroll was handled by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation through the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), and not by the university.

The clarification follows concerns raised by some affected workers who claimed they were recruited in February 2026 and had been working without salaries. They alleged that during a meeting with the university management last week, their identity cards were retrieved and they were issued fresh letters describing them as “Surplus to Needs,” leaving them uncertain about their employment status.

Addressing journalists in Umudike, 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 the Federal Government approved the recruitment of 426 staff, a figure also endorsed by the university’s Governing Council, which directed the then management to adhere strictly to the approved quota.

According to him, the previous administration allegedly exceeded that limit by issuing appointment letters to 618 persons, while 553 names were eventually submitted for capture on the GIFMIS platform.

He said the Federal Government’s payroll system recognised only the 426 positions officially approved by the Federal Government and the Governing Council, leaving the additional recruits outside the approved payroll.

“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,” Anyaso said.

The management also dismissed claims that Prof. Akanwa removed names from the Federal Government payroll, stressing that the Vice-Chancellor has no access to the GIFMIS platform and therefore cannot upload, delete or alter employees’ records.

It maintained that the current administration merely inherited the consequences of a recruitment exercise conducted beyond the approved quota and should not be held responsible for decisions taken before Prof. Akanwa’s appointment.

The university urged the public to disregard what it described as false narratives aimed at tarnishing the image of the Vice-Chancellor, insisting that official records clearly absolve the current management of any wrongdoing.

It also advised stakeholders to rely on official university communications and avoid spreading unverified information capable of misleading the public.

The clarification comes amid public criticism over the alleged disengagement of 192 workers. The university, however, denied dismissing any employee, explaining that it was only complying with the approved staffing quota of 426 positions sanctioned by the Federal Government and the Governing Council.

While expressing sympathy for the affected workers, the management said there were no budgetary provisions to accommodate salaries beyond the approved number of employees.

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