Ex-Abia SSG Alleges Foul Play Over Planned Relocation of MOUAU VC Interview to Abuja

Chairman of Governing Council, MOUAU, Mr Fidelis Edeh

A former Secretary to the Abia State Government has alleged foul play over plans to relocate the venue of the vice-chancellor interview for Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) to Abuja.
The former SSG, Dr. Eme Okoro, expressed his concerns in a statement issued to journalists on Thursday in Umuahia.
He faulted the decision of the Fidelis Edeh-led Governing Council, describing the move as burdensome to aspirants for the position.

He decried the short notice given to candidates, stating that they had been allowed only one week to prepare for the trip.
However, it was gathered that the council chairman, Fidelis Edeh, cited security concerns as the reason for the relocation.
According to Okoro, the university is estimated to spend more than ₦50 million to cover the logistics of no fewer than 40 council members and management staff for the exercise if it is held in Abuja.
He further described the decision as rash, self-serving, and an affront to the Abia State Government and security agencies, which, he said, had not reported any threat to the institution.
Okoro insisted that Governor Alex Otti and relevant security agencies were capable of addressing any security challenges, if such concerns truly existed.
He questioned why the council chairman failed to conduct exhaustive consultations with relevant stakeholders before taking a decision of such magnitude.
“By implication, the council chairman is telling President Bola Tinubu and Governor Otti that they cannot secure a small place like a university campus to hold a meeting for the purpose of selecting a vice-chancellor.
“The wider implication is that the selection process has already been compromised and that those involved are aware that their actions would be rejected,” the former SSG stated.
He further questioned how the public could have confidence in the credibility and integrity of the exercise amid suspicions surrounding the process.
The statesman recalled that he had personally called the chairman of the council and urged him to ensure transparency in the selection process to facilitate the emergence of a credible scholar as the seventh vice-chancellor of the institution.
He also raised legal and moral concerns over giving contestants only one week to mobilise to Abuja, especially as the job advertisement did not indicate that the venue for the exercise would be outside Umuahia.
Okoro called on the council chairman to immediately rescind the decision.
“They should learn from what happened at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, where the council flagrantly abused the process, only to be dissolved by Mr President,” he said.