The senior lecturer at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Dr Philips Nto, who has been denied promotion to the rank of professor since 2021, has explained that he petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the matter as a last resort.
He said the President, as the Visitor to the college, remains his final arbiter on the matter since the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of MOUAU, Comrade Fidelis Edeh, is bent on frustrating his efforts to be promoted.
Nto was reacting to a statement by Edeh on Tuesday that Nto jumped due process and had not exhausted the internal mechanism to resolve his issue.
The lecturer noted that except Comrade Fidelis Edeh is equating himself to President Tinubu, there was absolutely nothing wrong in him pleading for the intervention of the President.
“President Tinubu is the employer of both Comrade Fidelis Edeh and the Council, and since they have ignored my cries all these years and sat on my promotion, I had no option but to petition the highest authority, except they are now higher than the President,” he submitted.
He described as contradictory the reasons given by Edeh on why his promotion to the rank of professor has been delayed.
“The Chairman said that my name was not among the list of 68 persons presented by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Maduebibisi Iwe, for promotion to the rank of professors. In the same breath, he also said that my promotion was stood down because a member of Council who is a professor representing ASUU raised an objection to my promotion, which the Council is investigating. From the two contradictory statements, is it not obvious that I am being victimised by Edeh and that only the President can save me from him?” Nto asked. “The idea of threatening to discipline me for inviting Mr President is what I don’t understand.”
He also faulted Edeh’s statement that the so-called professor who opposed his promotion represents ASUU on the Council.
According to Nto, who is a former Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning in Abia State, there is nothing like ASUU representation on the Council. Internal members of Council of any university include Senate, Congregation and Alumni. “The man was a tool, just a tool in the hands of Edeh to deny me my promotion.”
He pointed out that the professor in question had participated in all the processes leading to his file arriving at the Council for approval and wondered why he did not raise any objection before then.
He also wondered why the Chairman would reject the positive recommendation of the Committee of the Council for his promotion.
“The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Maduebibisi Iwe, has told the world that his committee duly recommended my promotion to the rank of professor and that Comrade Fidelis Edeh is the one withholding it,” he declared.
On the allegation by Edeh that he (Nto) ought not to be teaching while on leave of absence, the lecturer said it was not a self-imposed assignment but one given to him by the management of the university.
“The university wrote officially to me because I am the only agribusiness investment and risk management expert in my college. They also used me to achieve accreditation for the college. Is it part of Edeh’s job to retroactively overturn the valid decisions of his predecessors?” he asked.
The former Provost of Abia State College of Education, Technical, Arochukwu, also pointed to what he referred to as the hypocrisy and double standards of Edeh in matters of promotion.
Said he: “Just last week, he approved the promotion of some lecturers who are currently on leave of absence to the ranks of Associate Professor. Why is he withholding mine? That is what he should tell Nigerians,” he lamented. To
Nto reiterated his plea to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to direct Comrade Fidelis Edeh to release his due promotion to the rank of professor with effect from 2021.
