A lecturer at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Dr. Philips Nto, has petitioned President Bola Tinubu to intervene over the denial of his promotion to the rank of professor by the Chairman of the Governing Council of the University, Comrade Fidelis Edeh.
He said his promotion, which has been due since 2021, has been withheld by Edeh over issues associated with the 2023 governorship election in Enugu State.
According to Dr. Philips Nto, during a press briefing in Umuahia, he was being victimised by Edeh because he refused to rig elections in favour of Edeh’s candidate during the election.
He lamented that since Edeh was appointed the Chairman of MOUAU Governing Council, he has exploited his position to “victimise, persecute and frustrate me.”
“The Council under Edeh has sat for more than 10 times in the last two years, and each time the matter of my promotion comes up, he will step it down under one flimsy excuse or the other,” he said.
He disclosed that within the same period, Edeh has approved the professorial promotion of many people, especially those from his home state of Enugu, “with the speed of light.”
He said, in line with the universities’ best practices pertaining to the promotion of academic staff, that his papers have been assessed through four layers and found him to be appointable as a professor.
Said he: “I have gone through the department, the college, the UAC and other stages, and they all approved my papers, but Edeh has refused to approve the promotion because I refused to rig elections for his candidate,” he submitted.
Dr. Nto, who is a former Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning in Abia State and former Provost of Abia State College of Education, Technical, Arochukwu, expressed frustration over the matter because his mates and even junior ones have since been promoted to the rank of professor.
He disclosed that he was forced to seek the help of President Tinubu when, after the last sitting of the Council, Edeh blatantly refused to take the legal advice from the University’s lawyer, who submitted that there was no legal impediment to deny him his promotion.
He therefore appealed to the President to intervene and direct Edeh to release his promotion to the rank of professor from 2021.
Text of Press Briefing by Dr. Philips Nto on Monday, February 02, 2026
It is with a heart full of sadness and regret that I address the press today over an issue that ordinarily should have been handled internally without finding its way to the public space. The issue is that for very personal and petty reasons, the Chairman of the Governing Council of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Comrade Fidelis Edeh, has blatantly refused to approve the release of my promotion to the rank of Professor, which has been due since 2021.
I joined the services of MOUAU as an Assistant Lecturer in 2007. I obtained my doctorate from the same university in 2009. I was promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer in 2015. Ordinarily, my promotion to the rank of Professor should be in 2021. All my mates and junior colleagues have been promoted to the rank of Professors except me.
The question now arises: why the delay? In the University’s Conditions of Service, there is a provision for scholars to proceed on leave of absence either due to further studies or national assignments/political appointments.
I have been opportuned to be called to serve Abia State in two capacities. The first was as the Honourable Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning from 2013 to 2015. The second was as the Provost of Abia State College of Education, Technical, Arochukwu (ASCETA), from 2016 to 2023. After my tour of duties, I duly returned to my desk at MOUAU. 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. My department also used me to achieve NUC accreditation that took place during the period. However, when the then Vice-Chancellor offered to pay me, I politely declined to be paid because it would have amounted to fraud since the Abia State Government was already paying me.
When I applied for the assessment of my relevant papers for promotion to the rank of Professor in line with the 2003 Conditions of Service that permitted my leave of absence, as well as with the standard academic procedure, I was initially told that I could not be assessed because the period that I was on leave of absence could not be counted for me as having worked, following a new Conditions of Service which had just taken effect. Basically, I know such conditions cannot apply retroactively.
When I referred the management to the Conditions of Service in operation before I was granted the leave of absence, as against the new one quoted by my adversaries in the University, it recapitulated and gave approval for my assessment.
As an academic institution, there is a rigorous procedure for assessment and promotion of staff to various levels. In fact, there are four clear layers you have to pass through before your matter is presented to the Governing Council. Ordinarily, it is always a fait accompli that the Governing Council should just concur. The first stage is at the department level. The second is at the college level. The third is at the University Appraisal Committee level. The fourth is the University Governing Council Committee called the Appointment and Promotion Committee. My papers went through all these levels, with professors, including a former Vice-Chancellor, approving my papers at every stage. My file finally arrived at the table of the Governing Council.
This Council was appointed in 2024, with Comrade Fidelis Edeh as the Chairman. He has always been a labour leader all his life and has no experience in academic matters. His attitude and ignorance have been largely responsible for the chaos evident in MOUAU since 2024. But that is not the issue. The issue is that after the Council has sat for more than 10 times, the Chairman has wilfully obstructed the release of my promotion. It has been one excuse after the other. When he is not talking of a frivolous petition from a faceless group, he is complaining of being tired. Sometimes he may change the Council to SPECIAL (where only the Chairman chooses what is to be discussed), as against REGULAR or EMERGENCY known to University regulations. All these delay tactics were meant to frustrate me for over a year the file has been before the Council.
Curiously, he has been approving the professorial promotion of other academics, especially those from Enugu State, with the speed of light. I have a comprehensive list of that. But anytime it comes to mine, he will feign one excuse or the other. At the last sitting of the Council, the University’s lawyer had presented a legal basis to strengthen my promotion. Comrade Fidelis Edeh ignored it. Instead, he said they had to first take the submission of a member of the Governing Council who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. The SAN was available the previous day when the University lawyer’s legal opinion was distributed, but conveniently unavailable on the next day it was scheduled for discussion. It was a mere smokescreen by Comrade Fidelis Edeh to deny me my promotion to the rank of Professor.
I know that what is agitating your mind is why this particular Chairman would choose to persecute and victimise me. Something happened in 2023 during the governorship election in Enugu State. The Vice-Chancellor of MOUAU, Prof. Maduebibisi Iwe, was appointed the Returning Officer for Enugu State. The current Governor of Enugu State, Barr. Peter Mbah, was the PDP candidate, while the former Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, was the candidate for APC. Someone who knew my friendship with Prof. Iwe came to me with a proposal from Comrade Fidelis Edeh that the election should be rigged in favour of Uche Nnaji. I told the emissary that Prof. Iwe is a principled Christian who would never engage in fraudulent practices. I thought that the matter had ended until I saw Comrade Fidelis Edeh in MOUAU as the Governing Council Chairman.
I will not know if he came purposely to MOUAU for vendetta. But his actions since 2024 suggest that I have been targeted for punishment because I could not persuade Prof. Maduebibisi Iwe to rig the Enugu governorship election in favour of Nnaji, whom Edeh was the Director-General of his Campaign Council.
Why have I invited you? My people of Ututu have an adage that when the fowl held by a hawk is shouting and flapping its wings, it does that for people to be aware of its predicament, and not necessarily for the sake of freedom. I called you to amplify what I am going through in the hands of this man, not that he will change his mind tomorrow.
In line with the standard practice in universities, my promotion has been due since 2021 and well established by all the stages. Whenever it is released, it will still take effect from that date and all the arrears would be paid to me. Comrade Fidelis Edeh is not a life Chairman.
I also want to use your media to appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Education to prevail on the Governing Council to release my promotion to the rank of Professor with effect from the said 2021.
Since I may not be infinitely patient, there comes a time I may run to the courts to help me get relief from this injustice inflicted on me by an embittered politician.
Dr. Philips Nto
