Why 440 members of staff were disengaged –MOUAU management

THE controversy surrounding the sack of 440 members of staff of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) has been put to rest as the university’s management explained that the affected staff were those whose temporary appointments lapsed last February.
The former vice chancellor, Professor Henry Edeoga, had, between November 2015 and February 2016, engaged the services of 440 temporary staff into the university, an offer that is currently causing ripples in the university community.
Addressing newsmen at a press conference in Umudike, the vice chancellor, Professor Francis Otunta, who spoke through the head, public relations/ protocol unit, Adanma Odefa, confirmed the affected number of staff to be 440, as against 500 earlier reported in some national dailies.
According to Professor Otunta, the figure advertised and approved by the university council constituted over 12 per cent of entire staff strength, which he noted made the university appear to have unqualified and redundant staff.
Professor Otunta, who further disclosed that apart from the university being threatened with several litigations due to multiple awards of contracts to different contractors by the previous administration, said it was at his discretion to honour the terms of the temporary appointments that had lapsed in February, pending the council’s decision.
On rumours doing the round that his administration recruited 100 new staff, the vice chancellor described it as unfounded and aimed at whipping up negative emotions against his leadership. He, acknowledged engaging the services of seven persons upon the vacancies that existed.
He said that on no account had his administration and university council chairman led by Mr Muhammadu Lawal Zayyana connived to sack people on the basis of states of origin, sex or otherwise, but that the university could no longer bear the burden of salaries of 440 temporary staff when the country is faced by economic recession.