ASUU-MOUAU Rejects "Double Promotion" Claims, Cites Violation of 2017 University Rules
ASUU-MOUAU Rejects "Double Promotion" Claims, Cites Violation of 2017 University Rules
UmarFarouk123 
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) branch at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) has formally declared that recent demands and controversies regarding staff promotion in the institution are a direct violation of the 2017 Conditions of Service for senior staff.
In a press statement released on Friday, February 13, 2026, jointly signed by the Chairperson, Professor Roseta C. Eneje, and the Secretary, Charles E. Osodeke, the union clarified the legal and procedural framework governing academic progression at the university.
The union highlighted two major areas where current promotion demands contravene established university regulations:
Rejection of "Double Promotion": ASUU-MOUAU maintained that the 2017 Conditions of Service do not provide for "double promotion." The union questioned the procedural validity of a staff member moving directly from Senior Lecturer to Professor without first attaining the intermediate rank of Associate Professor.
Leave of Absence Eligibility: The statement emphasized that, according to extant rules, staff members on leave of absence are ineligible for promotion unless a specific waiver is granted. Seeking promotion during such a period was described as a violation of university statutes.
The union's clarification comes amidst escalating tension involving Dr. Philips Nto, a Senior Lecturer who recently petitioned President Bola Tinubu over the alleged delay of his professorial promotion since 2021. While Dr. Nto has accused the university’s Governing Council, led by Comrade Fidelis Edeh, of victimization and personal vendetta, the Council and ASUU have both pointed to his seven-year absence from duty as a critical factor in the review of his application.
ASUU-MOUAU reaffirmed its commitment to the "due process" established in the 2017 guidelines, urging the university community to resist actions that could lead to institutional impunity or the desecration of academic traditions.
