‎MOUAU Lecturer Wants Tinubu to Intervene in his Alleged Promotion Delay

Worried by what he called delay in his promotion to the rank of a professor, Dr Philips Nto, a lecturer at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to mandate the Governing Council of the institution to act swiftly.
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‎Nto made the appeal at a news briefing in Umuahia on Monday, saying that the university had yet to effect his promotion, which was due in 2021.
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‎He alleged that the Chairman of the Governing Council, Mr Fidelis Edeh, approved the professorial promotion of other academics “with the speed of light”, but blatantly refused his.
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‎Southeastposts reports that Nto teaches various courses in the Department of Agribusiness and Management, College of Agricultural Economics, Rural Sociology and Extension.
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‎He is also the Director of the Agribusiness Incubation Centre at the university.
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‎He queried why his file should be abandoned by the governing council, in spite scaling through all the stages involved in the rigorous procedure for assessment and promotion of staff.
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‎According to Nto, the issue is that after the council has sat for more than 10 times, the chairman willfully obstructed the release of my promotion.
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‎He said that he went on leave of absence, from 2013 to 2015, to serve Abia in two capacities, first as Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning.
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‎Nto said he equally served as the Provost of Abia State College of Education, Technical, Arochukwu, from 2016 to 2023.
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‎“The interesting thing here is that during those periods, I still taught my students (both undergraduates and postgraduates) and even supervised those doing their postgraduate programmes,” he said.
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‎Nto said that he duly returned to his desk at MOUAU in 2023 and applied for the assessment of his relevant papers for promotion.
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‎He said that his application was in line with the 2003 Condition of Service and standard academic procedure that permitted his leave of absence.
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‎Reacting to the development, MOUAU Chief Public Relations Officer, Dr Ubadire Agua, said that the Pro-Chancellor (Chairman) does not have any power under the law to refuse or stop the promotion of any staff of the university presented to the council.
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‎(NAN)