460 staff of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture to lose their job

Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Main Gate:

A well over 460 temporary workers serving at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike in Abia State will lose their jobs barring any last-minute change of decision, as the university authority has ordered them to reapply for renewal of their appointment.
The development, which has created panic among the affected temporary workers, was made public following a circular dated April 28th, 2017, signed by the registrar Dr. Azubuike Nwaokacha.

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The circular read in part, “Following the resolution at the family meeting held on the 27th April 2017, all staff on temporary appointment and whose appointment had lapsed is hereby requested to apply for renewal of temporary appointment.

“The application should be addressed to the registrar through the HOD and Dean. The supervising officers should give cogent reasons why the applicant’s temporary appointment should be renewed.”

The circular had directed the applicants to include photocopies of their letters of appointment and curriculum vitae, adding that the reapplication process closes on May 4, 2017.

A source close to the university management alleged that some influential persons in the university were responsible for the current directive.

The source said the cabal wanted the incumbent vice chancellor, Prof. Frances Otunta, to sack some workers employed during the last days of ex vice chancellor, Prof. Hillary Edeoga’s administration to enable them replace such workers with their cronies.

It will be recalled that Prof. Otunta, while addressing newsmen on February, had promised not to sack any staff of the university employed before his appointment as VC, saying he did not intend to remove food from anyone’s table.

One of the affected staff who pleaded anonymity said the development were “calculated efforts” to sack some workers from the university.

He stated that the affected staff members ought to have been invited for regularization, but the process was intentionally delayed to root some workers out of the system.

When contacted, the public Relations Officer of the university, Mrs. Adanma Odefa, said the vice chancellor was not under pressure to sack anybody, but that he was just following the procedure of doing things according to the rules of the university.

She said the staffs who were asked to reapply for the renewal of appointments were hired illegally by the past administration of the university.