MOUAU Clarifies Vice-Chancellor’s Role in Previous Recruitment Exercise

The Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) has clarified that the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, was not involved in the university’s last staff recruitment exercise, stating that the process was concluded before she assumed office.

The clarification was made on Tuesday by the Head of the University’s Public Relations and Protocol Unit, Mr. Anyaso Anyaso, during a briefing with journalists at the Vice-Chancellor’s Conference Room in Umudike.

According to Anyaso, Professor Akanwa has consistently informed members of the university community during various engagements that the recruitment process, including the capture of successful candidates into the Federal Government payroll system, had been completed before she became Vice-Chancellor on March 1, 2026.

He advised individuals seeking clarification on the exercise to direct their enquiries to the officials who managed the recruitment process before the commencement of the current administration.

Providing details of the recruitment exercise, Anyaso explained that the Federal Government had granted approval for the employment of 426 staff members, a figure subsequently approved by the university’s Governing Council with a directive that the recruitment must strictly adhere to the approved number.

He, however, disclosed that appointment letters were issued to 618 individuals, while 553 names were uploaded on the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).

Anyaso stated that only the 426 positions approved by the Federal Government and the Governing Council were eventually processed and uploaded into the payroll system.

“The Vice-Chancellor has no access to the GIFMIS platform to either remove or change any name uploaded on the system,” he said.

He urged members of the public and university stakeholders to disregard claims linking Professor Akanwa to irregularities in the recruitment exercise, describing such allegations as misleading and the actions of individuals seeking to create confusion.

The university spokesperson further advised the public to rely on official statements from the institution and avoid spreading unverified information concerning university matters.