The scramble for the coveted seat of Vice Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State has started.
This is even as various clans in the state have renewed the quest for their natives to occupy the plum seat by the time the current occupant, Prof. Otunta relinquishes the position.
The Vice Chancellor position is currently occupied by Prof Francis Otunta, from Afikpo in Ebonyi State, but his tenure is expected to terminate at the end of the year. A recent release advertising the position of the Vice Chancellor, which was signed by the Registrar, Mrs Jacinta Ogwo-Agu and made available to newsmen, has put the age of the next VC at 64 years, while the interested candidates must be cognate in vast qualifications, capped with rich experience.
The release by Ogwo-Agu, who is also the Secretary of the school’s governing council, equally disclosed that the new Vice Chancellor would be enthroned in March, 2021 after the conduct of exams for the candidates.
However, a special finding by News Echo showed that different clans that make up the state are not leaving any stone unturned towards seeing their sons mount the academic throne of the federal institution. The agitation is championed by Oboro, Umudike Ibere and Oloko clans of Ikwuano LGA, the host town.
Other clans interested in the job are Ibeku and Olokoro, in Umuahia North and Umuahia South LGAs respectively. Other gladiators are drawn from Ngwa land, while candidates from Imo State origin as well as those from Anambra State are also not left out in the race for the top job.
It would be recalled that HRH, Eze Christopher Ejirika, the traditional ruler of Umuariaga community in Ikwuano LGA had in July, 2020, led other notable royal fathers from the council in demanding for their son to emerge the new VC of the school. Eze Ejirika in his communique after the meeting, condemned the poor treatment of the host town in the appointment of Vice Chancellor, while insisting that a Professor of Ikwuano extraction must take over from Prof Francis Otunta,
According to him, ” It is our turn to produce the Vice Chancellor of MOUAU. The era of scheming out our qualified sons from that seat is over. We have been a peaceful people who donated our lands and other resources for the building and expansion of this school yet our sons are regularly schemed out from becoming the VC, but this time, it is our turn,” Eze Christopher Ejirika had said.
Meanwhile before now, the seat of MOUAU Vice Chancellor has been rotated among States of the South East.
