MOUAU Says Vice Chancellor Did Not Participate in Staff Recruitment Process

The management of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), has clarified that its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, was not involved in the institution's recent staff recruitment exercise.

The clarification was made during a press briefing by the university management following reports linking the Vice Chancellor to the recruitment process.

According to the university, the recruitment exercise, including the capture of successful applicants on the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) for payroll, was concluded before March 1, 2026, when Prof. Akanwa assumed office as the institution's seventh Vice Chancellor.

The management explained that the Federal Government approved a waiver for the recruitment of 426 staff, a figure that was also approved by the University's Governing Council.

It disclosed that although appointment letters were issued to 618 applicants and 553 names were initially captured on the GIFMIS platform, only the 426 positions approved by the Federal Government and the Governing Council were eventually uploaded into the payroll system.

The university further stated that the Vice Chancellor has no access to the GIFMIS platform and therefore cannot add, remove or alter names on the payroll.

MOUAU urged members of the public and stakeholders to disregard what it described as misleading claims linking Prof. Akanwa to the recruitment process.

The institution advised the public to rely on its official communication channels for verified information and reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and accountability in its operations.