Disengaged MOUAU Workers Appeal for Reinstatement, Clear Vice-Chancellor of Blame

Disengaged MOUAU workers have appealed to the management of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) to reinstate them, reaffirming their loyalty to the institution and expressing hope that their case will receive favourable consideration.

The workers, who were disengaged from the university in 2017, also dismissed reports linking the current Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, to either their removal from service or the university’s recent recruitment exercise.

According to the affected workers, the ongoing public narrative blaming the Vice-Chancellor is inaccurate and should be corrected.

In a statement issued on behalf of the disengaged staff by Reverend Ifeanyi Remy, the group clarified that the recruitment exercise in question was conducted during the administration of the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, and not under the leadership of Prof. Akanwa.

The statement stressed that the current Vice-Chancellor had no involvement in the circumstances that led to their disengagement or the recruitment process that followed.

The workers alleged that when approval was granted for the recruitment of additional personnel, the previous administration failed to consider their reinstatement despite earlier expectations that affected staff members would receive priority.

According to the statement, a waiver was approved for the recruitment of 426 workers, and the disengaged employees believe that about 150 of them should have been reinstated before fresh recruitment was carried out.

The group further claimed that the university eventually recruited 618 new staff members, alleging that the figure exceeded the approved waiver and describing the action as an avoidable error.

The affected workers also disclosed that they had previously taken legal action over the matter but later withdrew the case, expressing optimism that dialogue with the university authorities would lead to a positive resolution.

Reaffirming their commitment to the institution, the disengaged MOUAU workers appealed to the university management to review their situation compassionately and consider returning them to service.