The Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike(MOUAU) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) has asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene to correct the “absurdity” in professorial promotion that happened 10 years ago.
ASUU MOUAU has been kicking against the promotion of Raphael N. Echebiri to the rank of professor of agriculture economics, saying that the promotion didn’t follow due process.
In statement signed by the Chairperson of ASUU MOUAU, Comrade M.C Ugwuene, nd Secretary, Comrade C.E. Osodeke, the union lamented that its protest has been ignored by the University management.
But the Vice-chancellor of MOUAU, Professor Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe faulted the position of ASUU, saying that the case of Professor Echebiri had been settled by the 7th Coumcil of the institution.
“Echebiri has no case to answer. The 7th University Council cleared his matter in April 2023,” he said, adding that “going back to it is an affront to the university authorities”.
Nonetheless, the Union said that there was urgent need for the intervention of President Tinubu, who is the Visitor to MOUAU, as management has scheduled Professor Echebiri to present the 57th inaugural lecture of the institution on December 11, 2024.
“The promotion was done during the period impunity was the order of the day at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike,” the union said, adding that the then Vice Chancellor, Prof. Hilary Odo Edeoga had tried in vain to defend the unilateral promotion.
Aside from Mr. President, ASUU MOUAU also want the Minister of Education to help in stopping “a desecration of the University Laws and traditions”.
The union insisted that Dr. R. N. Echebiri was raised to the rank of professor “without any assessment in both (his) Department and College”, adding that the promotion was “completely fraudulent, fraught with unilateral breaches of the conditions of service for senior staff” of MOUAU.
ASUU MOUAU said that its protest over the contentious promotion “has been gazetted by the Visitor in the white paper (2011 -2015) of the University page B 52, S/No 11.2 written thus under Observations/FindingsCases of wrongful Recruitment, Inappropriate Promotion or Placements”.
However, the union noted that despite that the absurdity of the “purported promotion” was captured in the white paper for MOUAU “as not following due process”, the concerned professor was unconditionally recalled from suspension.
“We therefore demand that the inaugural lecture be cancelled and the Vice Chancellor of MOUAU to refrain from promoting this illegality within the University,” ASUU said.
The union said that allowing the inaugural lecture to go ahead would mount to “taking the university back to the era of impunity and thereby reminding the public of what MOUAU was at the time”.
The public relations officer of MOUAU, Dr Ubadire Agua said that the inaugural lecture would hold, saying that it has been approved Senate and the VC has no reason to cancel the schedule.