An Associate Professor at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike Abia state Dr Philips Nto has lamented that his promotion to the rank of professor he said was due since 2021, has not been effected despite that his papers had successfully passed through the five levels of rigorous assessment processes before being sent to the Governing Council for ratification/ endorsement .
He so informed journalists during an interaction that he joined the services of the University as Assistant lecturer in 2007, obtained doctorate degree from the University in 2009, and was promoted to the rank of senior lecturer in 2015, arguing that hence all his mates and junior colleagues have been promoted to professors except himself, his promotion should take effect from 2021 whenever it is released.
He therefore urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prevail on the Chairman of the Governing Council of the University, Comrade Fidelis Edeh to release his promotion to the rank of professor with effect from 2021, indicating that a time may come, he may run to the courts to get relief for this injustice he said is inflicted on him.
He said it was curious , that Comrade Edeh who he accused of blatantly refusing to approve the release of his promotion, “has been approving professorial promotion of other academics with the speed of light excluding his ( Nto) own
He said that though he served his Abia state in two capacities, first as Finance and Economic Planning Commissioner from 2013 to 2015, and as Provost College of Education, Technical, Arochukwu from 2016 to 2023, he did so in accordance with the provision of the MOUAU Conditions of Service, with respect to his approved leave of absence.
According to Nto ” the interesting thing here is that during those periods (of his Leave of absence ), I still taught my students ( both the undergraduates and post graduates) and even supervised those doing their post graduate programmes, and politely declined to be paid. Because accepting the payment would have amounted to fraud since the Abia State Government was already paying me”.
He further informed the journalists that when he applied for the assessment of his papers for his promotion to the rank of professor in line with the 2003 Condition of Service that permitted his leave of absence, and is the standard academic procedure, ” I was initially told that I could not be assessed because the period that I was on leave of absence could not be counted for me as having worked, following a new conditions of service which just took effect. But I basically, know that such condition cannot apply retroactively
” But when I referred the management to the Condition of Service in operation before I was granted the leave of absence as against the new one quoted, management recapitulated and gave approval for my assessment”.
Nto, who is the Director of the University’s Agribusiness Incubation Center, argued that his papers, having successfully scaled/passed through the four rigorous procedures for assessment and promotion, the Governing Council, ” should just have concurred with the endorsements at these four levels of his assessment
” But after the Council has sat ten (10 ) times, the Chairman has willfully obstructed the release of my promotion, giving excuses that included a frivolous petition from a faceless group, all these being delay tactics meant to frustrate me for over a year the file is before the council”.
When contacted to react to Nto’s allegations, the Pro- Chancellor/Governing Council Chairman (Comrade Edeh ) said it is the Vice Chancellor, professor Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, as the Chairman of the Appointments and Promotions Committee, is best suited to speak on the matter, stressing that he cannot join issues with a staff.
” Because if I do , how will I sit on Nto’s matter when it comes to the Council”. The Council Chairman however noted that Nto’s promotion that he ( Nto ) said was due since 2021, was not attended to before 2024 that his ( Comrade Edeh ) led Governing Council came into office.
Chief Public Relations Officer/ Head of the Public Relations Unit of the university, Dr Ubadire Agua had in a statement dated 6th December 2025, and marked *Re: Tension mounts in MOUAU as Council Chairman seeks revenge against VC, Nto , over Enugu election won by Gov. Mbah* stated,
“It needs to be stated that under the watch of Prof. Iwe ( VC ) , all meetings for the appraisal of staff for promotion have held regularly and the reports submitted to the Governing Council. No qualified staff of the University has either been denied or delayed promotion as at when due”
According to Dr Ubadire ” Promotion of staff in the University is a process that starts with the Departmental Appraisal Committee, chaired by the Head of Department, then to the College Appraisals Committee, chaired by the Dean, and then to the University Appraisal Committee, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor. There is also an Appointment and Promotion Committee of the Governing Council, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, which considers all appraisals and presents its recommendations on staff promotion to the Council for consideration and approval”.
REPORT BY GORDI UDEAJAH
