…calls for immediate recall of suspended Professor Nwaeze

The Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, Comrade Uche Aguoru yesterday faulted and condemned the the alleged payment of only four hundred thousand naira ( N400,000.00 ) monthly salary to professors at the Abia State University (ABSU), calling on the university management to immediately recall Professor Nnamdi Nwaeze of the department of Economics that allegedly drew public attention to this payment in social media posts.

Aguoru who announced this at a press conference in Umuahia, the state capital said that the action of the university against Professor Nwaeze amounted to victimisation “for speaking out against alleged poor welfare conditions affecting university lecturers”.

Comrade Uche Aguoru, who announced this during a press conference in Umuahia, urged the ABSU authorities and the Abia State Government to immediately reverse the suspension and recall the professor to his duty post.

Aguoru suspected that Nwaeze’s suspension was connected to his public comments on the welfare of university lecturers and other public servants, particularly the concerns over their salaries and working conditions.

But ABSU in a press release by it’s Public Relations Officer Mr Chijioke Nwogu expalined that professor Nwaeze’s suspension followed concerns arising from various social media posts attributed to him, which ” are inimical to the interests of the university and uncomplimentary to the Visitor of the university”, adding that the Management also constituted an investigative committee to consider the matter.

Aguoru posited that ” it was unacceptable for a university professor to earn less than N400,000.00 monthly in 2026, while allegedly, being paid under an outdated salary structure, subjected also to the current tax regime”.

The APC Spokesman told the journalists that his party was concerned that such conditions could further undermine the quality of education in the state , tasking the state government to without further delay, settle all outstanding salaries, allowances, promotion arrears and other legitimate entitlements owed to lecturers and workers in state-owned tertiary institutions.

Arguing that the alleged use of outdated salary structures to pay workers should be discontinued and ensure they are paid according to approved remuneration frameworks, Aguoru further called for cessation of what he asserted amounted to the “victimisation, intimidation and harassment of civil servants who speak publicly on issues relating to workers’ welfare, governance and the public interest”

He therefore challenged the media and other stakeholders to speak against what he stated is injustice in the education sector, stressing that his APC had faulted and would continue to criticize the alleged accumulation of pension and gratuity arrears owed to retirees in the state.

Maintaining that it would remain unacceptable if retirees who had devoted their productive years to public service remain unpaid for months, Comrade Aguoru further alleged that some were owed as much as 30 months of pension and other entitlements.

He consequently called on the state government to demonstrate empathy by prioritising the payment of retirees and workers, and ensure that the funds to pay them are always and timely made available to fulfil these revolving obligations.

Speaking on the move he said his party was making to enforce disciple of members, which he said is an internal affair of the state APC, Comrade Aguoru reported of the party’s decision to refer some of its members and leaders to a disciplinary committee over their alleged anti-party comments.

Defending this move , he insisted that the party would not ignore members’ public statements that appeared to support opposition candidates ahead of the 2027 elections, stressing that APC had rules governing the conduct of its members hence, it would apply its disciplinary procedures where necessary.

According to him, the party’s Disciplinary Committee would examine comments attributed to some party leaders, including Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Rep Chris Nkwonta, and determine if the comments are actionable, but dismissed insinuations in some quarters that doing this could impact negatively, describing the state APC as one that is not only solidly united but one poised for victories in the 2027 elections.

Aguoru disclosed that discussions on the matter were already ongoing, expressing confidently and optimistically that the issues would eventually be resolved.