Abia Lawmakers Want New MOUA VC’s Appointment Nullified

• Demand Is Irrational And Selfish, Says ASUU

ABIA State House of Assembly has rejected the appointment of the new Vice Chancellor of Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUA), saying he is not an indigene of the state.
The lawmakers therefore, called for the nullification of the appointment and a new selection team for the appointment of another University helmsman from the state.

But a section of the Academic Staff Union of the University (ASUN), said the lawmakers goofed by their reaction, describing it as irrational and selfish.

The lawmakers, in a resolution, yesterday, rejected the recent appointment of Professor Francis Ogbonna Otunta, from Ebonyi State as the new Vice Chancellor. They also flawed the process of selecting substantive Vice Chancellor, which they alleged denied Abia indigene the opportunity of occupying the position in the past ten years.

The Huse Speaker, Mr Martins Azubike, while commenting on the matter,described it as unacceptable the situation where non Abia Professor is deemed qualified  to be appointed  as Vice Chancellor in any of the forty federal Universities in the country, including the one located in the state, adding that the state government will no longer keep silent over the continued marginalisation of Abia people.

The House members consequently mandated its education committee, which has Mr. Chidiebere Thomas -Nkoro of the PDP as Chairman, to take the matter to the Federal Government Ministerial Panel presently entertaining petitions in the university for a reversal.

However, while reacting to the resolution of the lawmakers, a member of the University branch of ASUU, who identified himself as a member of the “Rational ASUU Members” of MOUA, described the lawmakers’ resolution as “irrational, selfish and goofing.”