The Director of Agribusiness Incubation Centre at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Dr Philips Nto, has criticised the institution’s local chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over its stance on his long-delayed promotion to the rank of professor, which he said has remained unresolved since 2021.
Nto faulted the union’s claim that he was not qualified for promotion under the 2017 staff conditions of service, describing the position as “ignorant, petty and nepotistic.” He maintained that his leave of absence was governed by the 2003 conditions of service, renewed annually, and questioned why the newer regulation should be applied retroactively to his case.
He further accused the local ASUU leadership of acting as a “manipulative tool” in the hands of the Pro-Chancellor and Governing Council Chairman, Fidelis Edeh, alleging an orchestrated vendetta against him. Nto also questioned why the ASUU chairman would contradict the legal opinion of the university’s counsel, who reportedly advised that the 2017 conditions of service could not be applied retroactively.
Addressing claims that he sought to move directly from senior lecturer to professor without first becoming an associate professor, the former Abia State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning said he underwent separate assessments for both ranks, with independent files submitted for council consideration. He added that such dual assessments are not unusual within university systems.
Nto expressed frustration that after 10 council sittings, no decision had been reached on his promotion, prompting him to seek intervention from Bola Ahmed Tinubu after exhausting internal remedies. He alleged that despite recommendations from a council committee in his favour, the chairman had withheld action on the matter.
The academic further accused the MOUAU ASUU chapter of being dominated by a cabal that had become a stumbling block to staff progress, citing what he described as a pattern of leadership dominated by indigenes of Enugu State. He said dissatisfaction with the union’s conduct led him to withdraw his membership on August 4, 2025.
Calling on ASUU’s national leadership to investigate what he termed an “unholy alliance” between the local chapter and the pro-chancellor, Nto challenged union executives to an open debate on the merits of his promotion. He also dismissed claims that his academic work during leave of absence was invalid, arguing that critics should then be ready to cancel accreditations and certificates of students he supervised during the period.
He concluded by urging the governing council to either approve or reject his promotion with clearly stated reasons, insisting that prolonged indecision had unfairly stalled his academic advancement.
