A group of 127 employees from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, have requested that President Bola Tinubu intervene in their recent termination. These workers, originally hired by the Federal Government, claim that the university management improperly replaced them with outside individuals.
During a gathering at the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Umuahia, representatives Eze Ejike and Gospel Nwaike explained that 553 staff members were originally cleared by the Office of the Accountant General through the GIFMIS system. Despite receiving official documentation and working for five months, they were dismissed on July 15, 2026.
The dismissed workers allege that 127 names were swapped for unauthorized candidates chosen by university leadership. Additionally, some staff members reported being coerced by security personnel to surrender their identification and sign resignation papers against their will. Lawyer and affected employee Roseline Okpechi highlighted that her name remains on the government-verified list and has requested a public release of the original personnel records.
In response to these allegations, university spokesperson Anyaso Anyaso stated that the institution has received no formal complaints regarding this matter and remains unaware of the specific grievances cited by the group.
