…Sources allege plan to dismiss economist weeks after suspension was lifted under ASUU pressure

Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu, has referred Professor Nnamdi Chinwendu Nwaeze to its Governing Council Staff Disciplinary Committee, weeks after lifting his suspension over social media posts criticising the welfare and remuneration of lecturers.

Nwaeze, a Professor of Development Economics in the Department of Economics, is scheduled to appear before the committee at 10:30 am today, Friday, October 2, 2026, at the Vice-Chancellor’s Conference Room, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The development comes about six weeks after the university suspended him over his public criticism of poor working conditions, unpaid salaries, and promotion arrears. Those grievances led the ASUU branch at ABSU to begin a total and indefinite strike on August 11, 2026.

It also follows Governor Alex Otti’s public apology over the strike, in which he acknowledged that the lecturers’ demands were legitimate.

Documents released to the press show that the process against Nwaeze continued even after his suspension was lifted, and was expanded to include an allegation of “Duty Abscondment.” According to a September 10 memo, signed by Uka U. Uka, Deputy Registrar and Secretary of the Panel on Duty Abscondment, it was titled “Invitation To A Discussion.” It said the panel was investigating “Duty Abscondment and Social Media Commentaries against the interest of the University.”

The meeting was fixed for September 16 at the Board Room of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, with copies to the panel chairman and the Head of the Department of Economics.

The September 30th memo, signed by Acting Registrar Dr. (Mrs.) J.C. Nwankwo showed the matter had reached the Governing Council Staff Disciplinary Committee. “You are invited to appear before the Governing Council Staff Disciplinary Committee meeting scheduled as follows,” it read. The memo was also copied to the Pro-Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor and other principal officers.

Sources say the proceedings could end in his dismissal, alleging he is being targeted for his outspokenness and objective criticism of the treatment of academic staff.

Nwaeze’s supporters have dismissed the duty abscondment allegation. They insist he completed his semester teaching, submitted students’ results, and supervised undergraduate and postgraduate students as required.

They describe the continued proceedings as an attempt to punish him for raising concerns about lecturers’ welfare, especially after the governor himself admitted the grievances behind the strike were legitimate.

Several news outlets reported on August 13th that ABSU had suspended Nwaeze over his social media posts. In a statement, the university’s Deputy Registrar and Public Relations Officer, Chijioke Nwogu, said the posts were “inimical to the interests of the University and uncomplimentary to the Visitor of the University.”

The university said it had also set up an investigative panel and that the suspension would take immediate effect “pending the outcome of the investigation.”

Nwaeze made the posts while commenting on the strike. He alleged that:

* ABSU lecturers are among the lowest-paid in Nigeria and are still on the 2009 ASUU/FG salary structure.

* Lecturers promoted between 2023 and 2026 have not been paid at their new ranks.

* Some academic staff have gone as long as 44 months without salaries.

* Salary arrears are unpaid, union dues deducted from workers are not remitted to ASUU, and lecturers have never received Earned Academic Allowances.

* About N163 million in cooperative deductions is owed by the government.

“Let me be blunt at this time. Did you know that most professors in ABSU earn less than N400k monthly?” he wrote. He compared professors’ pay with that of commercial tricycle operators, saying a Keke driver earning N15,000 daily could make more than a professor. He also claimed that over 85 per cent of lecturers no longer drive their cars and that staff were effectively subsidising the government.

“All men of good conscience should plead with the Abia State government to pay ASUU-ABSU staff their due pay and end this strike within the shortest time,” he added.

After his suspension, he said: “In life, somebody must pay the price for the liberation of others.” He added: “Don’t sympathize with me; instead, direct your sympathy to the paymasters.”

The proceedings come against the backdrop of Governor Otti’s August 28 apology. Speaking at a public lecture at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia, he said the strike was avoidable.

The strike followed unresolved welfare issues and a wider ASUU directive over the “haphazard implementation” of the 2025 renegotiated federal-state agreement.

Otti said the lecturers’ demands were legitimate and had been approved, but bureaucratic delays and administrative bottlenecks stopped prompt implementation. “I want to, on this podium, apologise to Abia State University as well. That strike was avoidable. The reality is that the buck stops here. So, we failed. I failed. I failed them,” he said.

Following pressure from the ABSU ASUU branch, the university lifted Nwaeze’s suspension, though management maintained its investigation would continue.

The university has not disclosed which specific posts it considers inimical to its interests or uncomplimentary to the governor. It has also not publicly stated the outcome of its investigation into his posts, nor explained the circumstances behind the new duty abscondment allegation.

It has likewise not responded to concerns from commentators and stakeholders about the multiple investigations.

By Joy Nlebedum, Ginger Eke Collins and Anyim Sunday

The Vice-chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) Prof. Ursula Ngozi Akanwa has charged newly admitted postgraduate students to turn their knowledge and research into practical solutions that will positively impact society.

Delivering her address, the Vice-chancellor represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Development, Prof. Princewill Ogbonna gave the charge at the 4th Orientation Exercise for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 Academic Sessions of the Postgraduate School, held at the Senator Anyim Pius Auditorium.

Congratulating the students on their admission, Prof. Akanwa urged them to pursue their studies with discipline, intellectual curiosity, hard work and responsibility. She encouraged them to engage critically in research activities that will bring solutions to societal challenges.

She reaffirmed Management’s commitment to providing an enabling environment for postgraduate education and impactful research through innovation, digitization, entrepreneurship and strategic partnerships.

While speaking at the event, the Dean, Postgraduate School, Engr. Prof. Ogbonna I. Okoro, gave an overview of the School and highlighted the academic rules and regulations guiding postgraduate studies.

He explained that the orientation was designed to acquaint students with postgraduate procedures and expectations, while promoting effective time management, productivity and timely completion of programmes.

The Dean urged the students to maintain productive relationships with their supervisors, undertake independent research and maximize the University’s academic environment. He further reiterated MOUAU’s zero tolerance for extortion, sexual harassment, examination malpractice, intimidation, cultism and other forms of academic misconduct, charging the students to uphold integrity and responsible conduct throughout their studies.

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By Sunday Anyim Okorie, Joy Nlebedum and Ginger-Eke Collins

The Vice-Chancellor, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Prof. Ursala Ngozi Akanwa, has expressed the University’s readiness to deepen strategic international partnerships that will advance research, innovation, scholarship exchange, capacity building for the University’s global visibility.

Prof. Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, stated this while receiving a high-level delegation from the University of Waterloo (UWaterloo), Ontario, Canada, led by Mr. Grant Leach, Senior Recruiter and Business Development Strategist at the University.

Prof. Akanwa described the visit as a valuable opportunity to connect MOUAU’s academic and research expertise with global partners, stressing that the University remained open to collaborations capable of creating meaningful opportunities for researchers, academic staff and students.

She emphasized that strategic international partnerships would enable the University to strengthen research development, knowledge exchange and sustainable development, particularly in areas where collaborative efforts could produce measurable impact.

The engagement, held at the Conference Room of the Vice-Chancellor in the presence of the University’s expanded Management team, provided an opportunity for both institutions to explore areas of mutual interest and pathways for sustainable collaboration.

The University of Waterloo delegation, which included Dr. Adra Raine, Associate Director, Pan-African Initiative for Research (PAIR), and Prof. Onyeka Ezeh, Professor of Linguistics, presented opportunities available to prospective partner institutions.

Mr. Leach and other members of the delegation highlighted University of Waterloo’s research ecosystem, innovation platforms, academic networks and opportunities for international collaboration.

In a reciprocal presentation, the Director, Directorate of Advancement, MOUAU, Prof. Kennedy Onyelowe, showcased the University’s academic, research and infrastructural strengths, particularly in agriculture, science, technology, innovation and other multidisciplinary fields.

Prof. Onyelowe’s presentation highlighted the expertise and institutional resources available at MOUAU and demonstrated its potential as a strategic partner for international institutions.

The meeting subsequently featured an open exchange on possible areas of collaboration, with both institutions exploring practical ways of translating the identified opportunities into sustainable partnerships.

The engagement marks another step in MOUAU’s drive to strengthen its international profile, expand collaborative research opportunities and position itself as a globally competitive institution.