Having read some of what was marshaled out as the achievements of the former University of Agriculture Umudike’s vice chancellor prof. Hillary Edoga, one would immediately begin to see how our system has willingly accepted substandard life style and illegality in our everyday existence even in our education, little wonder our political leaders do not take us seriously In their dealings with us, having realized that we are a people that can settle for little in the midst of plenty.
But my worry is that those who are supposed to fight a systemic rot are the ones promoting those who are shortchanging us on daily basis.
Professor Hillary Edoga instituted corruption, immorality and mismanagement in MOUAU, he had no regards for institutional procedure and embarked on illegal and fraudulent hiring of staff without recourse to due process.
Prof. Edoga embarked on so many infrastructural projects in the university during his time as the vice chancellor, examples are some of the hostels he constructed, while he must be given credit for initiating those projects, the issue that arose as a result of such contracts should give every one cause for worry as to the honesty of the motives for venturing into the projects abinitio, most of the hostels he built are no longer in use a few months after construction due to substandard and poor quality jobs leaving most of the roofs caving in and walls cracking despite alleged over bloating of the contract sums while some of the contractors alleged that they were forced to pay as much as 20% of the contract sum before moving to site.
It is also alleged that some contractors took the university to court because of the procedures leading to the award of those contracts whereby multiple contract letters were issued to different contractors for same project after collecting upfront payments from them.
During Prof. Edoga’s tenure, admission into courses that were not accredited and not even admissible in a specialized university like that of a university of agriculture was opened up all for the purposes of extorting monies from gullible students who after the end of their studies cannot proceed on the compulsory national youth service corps or obtain a certificate on the courses they studied, thereby not only wasting their time but also toying with the future of our students in the name of revenue generation.
TETFUND and NEEDs assessment blocked the university from accessing further funds because of the wanton mismanagement and corruption associated with Edeoga's regime.
Prof Edoga ran the university for two years without budget and he embarked on illegal recruitment without going through the standard rules, despite the mess that Prof. Edoga left behind, Prof. Otunta has been able to turn the university back on the right path and has been up to date on salary payments and had also covered up with salary shortfalls that arose as a result of the illegal recruitments embarked upon by Prof Edoga months before he left office as VC.
Prof. Otunta had in the interest of the university workers paid up November and December salaries even before the end of the month.
The new VC is a man who is focused and does not engage in unnecessary propaganda and illegality as experienced under Edoga and with him the university is positioned to regain its lost glory.