Academic Staff Union of Universities, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (ASUU-MOUAU) branch, has clarified its position on the ongoing controversy surrounding staff promotion at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture (MOUAU), stating that the exercise contravenes the institution’s 2017 Conditions of Service.
This was disclosed in a press statement jointly signed by the Chairperson, ASUU-MOUAU, Prof. Roseta C. Eneje, and the Secretary, Dr. Charles E. Osodeke, and made available to newsmen after its Congress yesterday (February 12, 2026).
The union said it was compelled to address the matter in order to set the record straight in the interest of the university and the general public.
ASUU-MOUAU maintained that the 2017 Conditions of Service for senior staff do not provide for double promotion. It questioned how a staff member currently holding the rank of Senior Lecturer could seek promotion directly to Professor without first attaining the rank of Associate Professor.
The union further stated that the extant 2017 Conditions of Service clearly stipulate that staff on leave of absence are not eligible for promotion, without exception or waiver. It described any demand for promotion during a period of leave of absence as a violation of the university’s regulations.
According to the union, the 2017 Conditions of Service supersede the 2003 version, rendering the latter null and void. It stressed that the university cannot operate two different conditions of service simultaneously.
ASUU-MOUAU also noted that the staff member at the centre of the controversy was reportedly on leave of absence for seven uninterrupted years, from 2016 to 2023, whereas the 2003 Conditions of Service provided for a maximum of four years of leave.
The union called on the university to thoroughly investigate the processes that led to the recommendation for promotion to the rank of Professor during the period of leave. It recommended that the Departmental and College Appraisal Committees involved be queried to explain how their recommendations aligned with the existing Conditions of Service.
Additionally, ASUU-MOUAU urged the Governing Council to review all cases of staff promoted while on leave of absence, insisting that such promotions constitute violations of university regulations.
Recall that a Senior lecturer at MOUAU, Dr. Philips Nto, had petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the alleged delay in approving his promotion to the rank of professor.
Nto accused the university’s Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Comrade Fidelis Edeh, of withholding the release of his promotion, which he said was due in 2021. He appealed to the President to intervene and ensure that whenever the promotion is approved, it takes effect retrospectively from 2021.
The former Commissioner of finance in Abia state while addressing journalists, said he joined the university as an Assistant Lecturer in 2007, obtained his doctorate degree in 2009, and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2015. Based on academic progression standards, he maintained that he became eligible for promotion to professor in 2021.
He claimed that his contemporaries and some junior colleagues had since been elevated to professorial rank, leaving him allegedly excluded. According to him, while other promotions were approved “with the speed of light,” his own was deliberately withheld.
Reacting to the allegations, Edeh said he could not join issues with any staff member, noting that as Chairman of Council, he must remain neutral in matters brought before the Governing Council. He also questioned why the promotion, if due in 2021, was not effected before the current Council assumed office in 2024.
Edeh referred further comments to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, who assumed office in 2021 and chairs the university’s Appointments and Promotions Committee.
In a related statement dated December 6, 2025, the university’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Dr. Ubadire Agua, had denied claims of delayed or denied promotions. The statement insisted that under the current administration, no qualified staff member had been denied or delayed promotion.
The university explained that promotions follow a structured process beginning with the Departmental Appraisal Committee chaired by the Head of Department, then the College Appraisal Committee led by the Dean, and finally the University Appraisal Committee chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, before recommendations are forwarded to the Governing Council for approval.
The matter is yet to receive a formal response from the Presidency.
