We are strictly following due process in MOUAU — Pro-Chancellor

By Anayo Okoli

The Pro-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State, Comrade Fidelis Ede, has stated that the Governing Council under his leadership is strictly adhering to due process in the administration of the institution.

Ede said he assumed office with a firm commitment to model his tenure after the sterling qualities and achievements of the former Premier of Eastern Nigeria, Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara, after whom the university is named.

According to him, his dedication to due process and zero tolerance for corruption earned him the pinnacle of the Nigerian Civil Service as National President, and he vowed not to deviate from those principles in managing the university.

Speaking to journalists on the achievements of the council, the Senior Special Assistant to the Pro-Chancellor, Sir Lucky Akabuike, highlighted the restoration of due process, financial discipline and respect for budgetary provisions as key reforms introduced by the council. He said these measures have contributed to the prevailing peace and improved standards in the university.

Ede stressed that the University Council is not involved in the day-to-day administration of the institution but expressed concern over what he described as lapses under the outgoing Vice-Chancellor before the inauguration of the current council.

He alleged that the university was previously administered without strict adherence to budgetary provisions and cited a proposed ₦211 million estimate for the 2025 budget, which he claimed lacked due process and contributed to the postponement of the university’s convocation.

The Pro-Chancellor also addressed the case of Dr. Phillip Nto, a Senior Lecturer, accusing him of failing to follow established procedures in seeking redress over an alleged delay in his promotion. He said the lecturer bypassed the Ministers of Education and Agriculture and Food Security, who oversee the institution, and instead called on the President to intervene.

Ede questioned why the outgoing Vice-Chancellor did not promote Dr. Nto before 2024 when there was no Governing Council, but was now agitating for his promotion at the end of his tenure, describing the development as suspicious.

He disclosed that the council approved 68 promotions in 2024 and 107 in 2025, and commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as fatherly support that has restored the dignity of the university workforce.

“I expect the outgoing Vice-Chancellor to discipline Dr. Phillip Nto for flouting laid-down procedures in addressing his promotion concerns. His application was stepped down for review as he was away from duty for seven years. It is untenable for a senior lecturer to resign from ASUU because a professor requested a review of his promotion papers.

“It is also unprocedural for him to ignore the Ministers of Education and Agriculture and Food Security and the University Council in his clamour for promotion and call on the President to intervene. This is unacceptable,” Ede said.

It would be recalled that prior to the inauguration of the Ede-led council, the university was reportedly criticised for the controversial promotion of more than 30 lecturers to professorial rank, a development that sparked public debate.

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