The immediate past Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Prof. Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, says claims that the current Vice-Chancellor was not involved in the recruitment exercise that has generated a lot of Controversies is totally false and misleading.
Prof Iwe in a statement endorsed by by his Media Aide, Chidiamara G. Uzoh, alleged that the current Vice Chancellor while occupying the seat of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor served on the interview panel, participated in the interview sessions and took part in both Management and Governing Council deliberations on the recruitment process.
According to him, all members of the Governing Council and Management participated in decisions relating to the recruitment, adding that documentary evidence exists to support the claim.
The former Vice Chancellor therefore defended the university’s 2025/2026 recruitment exercise, insisting that the employment process was conducted in line with due process and within the approval granted by the Federal Government.
Prof. Iwe described allegations surrounding the recruitment exercise as attempts to implicate him and acts of blackmail, pettiness and misinformation.
He revealed that the recruitment exercise began under his administration following the Federal Government’s approval for the university to recruit 426 staff after years of employment embargo that had left significant vacancies in the institution.
The renowned Academic, further pointed out that his administration secured about ₦7 billion in personnel budget for 2024 and 2025 to accommodate nearly 1,000 identified vacant positions in the university, stating that the recruitment process followed all required procedures, including advertisement of vacancies in newspapers, shortlisting of candidates, interviews and biometric capture.
Prof Iwe while noting that the process was still ongoing when he handed over office on February 28, 2026, to his successor, argued that it was the responsibility of the succeeding administration to conclude the exercise since administration is a continuum.
According to the former Vice-Chancellor, the list of successful candidates for the approved 426 positions had already been compiled and submitted in December 2025, while additional consultations continued in January and February 2026 to accommodate the interests of critical stakeholders in the overall interest of the university.
While reaffirming his commitment to transparency and accountability during his tenure, Prof. Iwe said he is prepared to present his records before any Presidential Visitation Panel whenever one is constituted.
To this end, he urged the public not to be swayed by what he described as attempts to rewrite the history of the recruitment exercise, insisting that the facts would ultimately prevail.
