127 SACKED MICHAEL OKPARA UNIVERSITY WORKERS APPEAL TO TINUBU FOR REINSTATEMENT, ACCUSE SCHOOL MGNT OF SUBSTITUTING NAMES. (PHOTO).

 

    127 Sacked Michael Okpara University Workers Appeal to Tinubu for Reinstatement, Accuse School Mgnt of Substituting Names

One hundred and twenty-seven newly recruited staff of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and compel the institution’s management to reinstate them as duly employed workers.

The affected workers, who claimed they were unlawfully sacked and replaced with other candidates, made the appeal on Monday when they visited the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Umuahia to seek public support.

Speaking on behalf of the disengaged colleagues, Mr. Eze Ejike and Mrs. Gospel Nwaike said the Federal Government had employed 553 new workers, whose names were duly captured on the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) by officials from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation in Abuja.

“Despite being issued official appointment letters and staff identity cards by the Federal Government, and having worked for five months in 2026, the university management sacked us on Wednesday, 15th July 2026,” Ejike stated.

The workers alleged that 127 names from the authentic GIFMIS list were substituted with candidates allegedly brought in by senior officials of the university. They also claimed that many of them were forced by security officials to surrender their staff identity cards and sign disengagement letters under duress.

A female lawyer among the sacked workers, Mrs. Roseline Okpechi, said she was unjustly removed despite her name appearing on the original employment list from Abuja. Her appointment letter, she said, was dated January 14, 2026.

Okpechi urged the Federal Government to direct the university to publish the original list of employed staff and immediately recall the 127 affected workers.

When contacted for comments, the Head of Public Relations and Protocol at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Mr. Anyaso Anyaso, said the university management was not aware of the complaints.

“We are not aware of their claims. Of course there is no claims they have because they have not written the school,” Anyaso said.