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Applauding Professor Iwe’s five years of landmark achievements in MOUA, Umudike

Published

4 months ago

February 20, 2026

Whirlwindnews

By Ubadire Agua, Ph.D

Professor Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe is set to bow out of office as the 6th Vice Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture (MOUA) Umudike, Abia State, after five years at the helm of affairs of the University. Iwe, a thorough-bred academic and a renowned Professor of Food Science and Extrusion Technology for nearly 25 years, assumed office as Vice-Chancellor of the University on March 1, 2021, after a highly competitive selection process by the 7th Governing Council of the University led by Rt. Hon. Mohammed Lawal Zayyana, a crown Prince of the Sokoto Sultanate.

As one who was born and bred in Umudike, I have had ‘more than a passing interest” in the University since it was established nearly 34 years ago. I have followed events in the University and can tell the contributions of all former Vice-Chancellors either to the growth and development of the University or to or to its challenges. I closely followed the trajectory of the University since the beginning of the five-year tenure of Prof. Iwe in 2021.

I remember vividly that at the time of his assumption of office; the world was gradually recovering from the cataclysmic socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic that prompted a global shutdown. I also know, as a matter of fact, that there was no harmonious working relationship between the University Management and many staff, given the issue of promotions, demotions, appointments, and proper placement, loss of programmes, etc. that characterized two administrations before his. I also know there were more than one hundred court cases against the University, instituted by aggrieved staff.

The worst, perhaps, was that some critical stakeholders had lost interest and confidence in the University and its reputation has taken the left curve.Prof. Iwe, was however, determined to serve the University in the best possible way. So, he did not allow the difficult situation he met on ground to deter him from pursuing his vision, which was to mobilise the University to positive thinking, positive action, productivity, and progressive programmes; make it an “agripreneurial” university, that is capable of self-sustenance; and to open it up to the world through productively collaborations and linkages. He took things in stride, confronting the problems of the University systematically and trusting God to help him achieve his vision and the mission of the University, which is to reduce hunger by providing the knowledge-base to tackle food insecurity.

Being a seasoned university teacher, researcher and administrator for forty-one years so far in his career, Prof. Iwe understood the importance of peace in a university system and that without peace, the University cannot make progress. Hence he took steps to reconcile the University and its aggrieved staff. In appreciation and reciprocation of his goodwill and gesture, the litigants withdrew their cases from the courts, and today, one can say with careful confidence, that the University is peaceful and a a harmonious working relationship has been fully restored in the University.

Besides restoring peace in MOUAU, Prof. Iwe also diligently and dexterously restored harmonious working relationship between the University Management and the Management of its Microfinance Bank, which was elusive for 5 years. He also restored the operating licence of the Institution’s consultancy limited liability company, MOUAU Nigerian Ltd, which had been moribund for 15 years. He reset both the MOUAU Microfinance Bank and MOUAU Nigeria Ltd. and strengthened them for business and generation of funds for the University’s good.

It is to the credit of Prof. Iwe’s administration that these enterprises worked together to retrofit the old University Guest House and expand it from 16 to 21 rooms and built a brand new 51-room University Guest House, described by visitors from other universities as the best in the country. The Guest House has saved the University a lot of funds that could have been spent on hotel accommodation for both Governing Council Members and other guests outside the University.Prof. Iwe also operationalized the bread and biscuit factory and a water-treatment plant built by a former Vice-Chancellor. Today, Umudike bread, biscuit and bottled water are sold all over Abia State, giving the University a good name and positive reputation.

It is worthy to note that these revived enterprises have also provided a practical training ground for students of the University, especially those in Food Sciences, Nutrition, Hospitality Management, Engineering and so on, who require industrial training experience as part of the studies.The principled, focused and egalitarian leadership style of the 6th Vice-Chancellor, yielded tangible results, including infrastructural development, landmark energy and agriculture projects, and digitalization of key departments in MOUAU, to mention but a few.

Under Professor Iwe’s watch, for instance, the University started the development of a Permanent Site in 2023. The commencement of work at the Permanent Site coincided with. the 30th anniversary of the university. Prior to the commencement of work at the Permanent Site at Ilori, Oboro in Ikwuano LGA, Abia State, Prof. Iwe resolved all the cases relating to land encroachment and ownership and secured the Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) of the University from the Abia State Government. Work has progressed at the Permanent Site with a N3 billion Special Intervention Fund from the Federal Government. The full take off of the Ilori Campus would see MOUAU running a two-campus structure like the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) and other first-generation universities.

Other key projects executed under Iwe’s leadership include the completion of a 24-hour solar power plant in collaboration with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), providing stable electricity 24/7 to the campus under the Energizing Education Project (EEP2). The Vice-Chancellor equally focused on equipping and upgrading all University laboratories, to bring them to international standard. The Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) applauded the efforts of the VC while on a visit to MOUAU recently, and noted that some of the equipment in Umudike, such as the Amino Acid Analyzer, among other pieces of equipment, cannot be found in any other university in Nigeria.

In the area of Agricultural Research and Development, MOUAU under Iwe’s administration, partnered with the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) to utilize 50 hectares of land for agricultural research and demonstration. The university has also strengthened the Agribusiness Incubation Centre, to enhance food production in Abia State and neighbouring states. Milestones have also been achieved in Cassava & Rice Research, including projects on high-quality cassava flour (HQCF) and the development of motorized cassava root shredding machines.

To enhance transparency and accountability in the management of University finances, the Management completely digitalized the Bursary Department of MOUAU, developing electronic systems for accounting and financial transactions. This made accounting and financial transactions in the university smooth and free from much human interference. With the digitalization of the Bursary, the University can easily send its report straight to the office of Auditor-General of the Federation or the Accountant-General of the Federation.

The University Library and the Medical Services have also been digitalized. The operations of the MOUAU Senate are now done through e-Senate, saving the University enormous resources, including huge money spent on ink and paper. All these were achieved by the administration of Professor Iwe without beating the drums.

In addition and as part of the digitalization of its operations, the University introduced a biometric process to create a comprehensive student database for improved record-keeping. Through the Biometric Student Capture process, a database was created, from which the University can give up-to-date information and respond within 24 hours to any official inquiries about its students. This was visionary, as it has helped students to access the Federal Government loans from NELFUND quickly. More so, students can now get their results and transcripts online, unlike in the past when getting transcripts seemed unattainable and highly challenging because of interference by human intermediaries, including transcript traders.

Prof. Iwe did a lot around academic planning, working with his team to reorient the University and ensuring that none of the academic programmes was lost. It is to the credit of his administration that five programmes in the College of Management Sciences, namely BSc. Accounting, Marketing, Economics, Banking and Finance, and Business Administration, which were delisted by the Federal Government in 2016/2017 were restored in 2024/2025 session. The University has also introduced new bachelor’s degree programmes like Mechatronics Engineering, Food Engineering and Embedded Artificial Intelligence to equip Nigerians for the future. In the last admission exercise, the University gained more than one thousand five hundred students, which was not the case in previous exercises.

In the aspect of laboratories and equipment, Prof. Iwe’s administration upgraded and equipped laboratories in virtually all the Colleges, especially the Science and Engineering programmes. The Centre for Molecular Biosciences and Biotechnology (CMBB) was expanded and equipped for all manner of biotechnology and molecular investigations. The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Centre of Excellence for Root Crop Research and Development (CERCORD) has also received modern laboratory equipment for all manner of research in food sciences, crop sciences just to mention but a few.

TETFund has also built a Glass Soilless Greenhouse in the University in support of the Greenhouse Initiative of Prof. Iwe’s administration. In the last 2 years, the University has made a name for itself as a hub for smart agriculture, producing farm-fresh tomatoes, pepper, okro and cucumber in large quantities for sales to and consumption by members of the University community and traders in nearby markets in Abia State. Prof. Iwe will also be remembered for his achievement in the international front. He led the University into the League of Tropical Universities (LTU), being elected as the African representative in the Council of the League. Membership of the LTU has connected the University to over 100 other universities across 40 countries in Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. MOUAU has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for staff and student exchange, research collaborations etc. with several other universities. Of particular interest in the MoU with Hainan University China, where a staff of the University is now enjoying a full scholarship up to Ph.D level in Food Engineering.

Fortunately, all the efforts of Professor Iwe have not gone unnoticed. He has received widespread commendation for transforming MOUAU into a top-tier specialized academic institution in Nigeria. Recently, staff of the University passed a vote of confidence in him, saying he has performed creditably well and deserved greater support. The vote of confidence was announced at a meeting attended by Deans, Directors, scores of professors and non-teaching staff. These were people who understood where Prof. Iwe was going and followed him.

In the past five years, Professor Iwe tried to do things right and to do the right things in the University. Being a God-fearing, honest and decent man, Prof. Iwe tried to bring about positive attitudinal change in staff and students, to ensure that products of the university are found worthy in both character and learning. In doing this, he respected boundaries, honoured personal spaces and deferred to the authority of others in the University, including the Senate and Governing Council.

Unfortunately, a few dissidents who chose not to queue behind his good works, have resorted to all kinds of smear campaign against him, using the fringe online media. In a recent interview with some reputable mainstream media organisations, the Vice-Chancellor convincingly addressed the disinformation, peddled against him through the online media and suggested that those who do not understand how a university system operates should not be appointed to run a university.

In conclusion, I see the elapse of Professor Iwe’s tenure as Vice-Chancellor beyond an end to one university administration. To me, his exit this February crests an era of transformation in MOUAU and would be remembered as the Vice-Chancellor who restored peace and opened-up the University for limitless opportunities and possibilities.

Dr Ubadire Agua, wrote in from Umudike, Abia State

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FG orders strict operations on all borders *Committee gets N10billion head-start

Published

5 hours ago

June 10, 2026

Whirlwindnews

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, announced the approval of the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and ordered the immediate release of ₦10 billion as emergency intervention funding.

Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesman, who conveyed the development to the public, said the fund would strengthen the operational preparedness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical national public health emergency response activities.

To be chaired by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, the committee with membership drawn from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and state representatives is also expected to get briefings on their plans to contain the disease.

Onanuga, stated that Tinubu also specifically directed all states hosting international airports and international border corridors, as well as relevant MDAs, to submit their plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for consideration and coordinated implementation.

Stating that the President’s move followed a stakeholder meeting convened under the CoS to review Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies against the possible importation of Ebola into the country., the statement informed that the Task Force would also intensify passenger screening at all international airports through enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols.

Other measures would also include enhanced monitoring of passengers arriving through high-risk airline routes, including Air Uganda, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines; and the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the Lagos and Abuja international airports, with other airports to follow.

Other measures include the mandatory activation of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers originating from or transiting through designated high-risk countries, as well as the disinfection of departure halls, cargoes, baggage areas and airport facilities as precautionary environmental measures.

The President also directed the advisory group to consult with security, diplomatic and aviation bodies on regulating flights from affected and designated high-risk countries and mandated the task force to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to enable controlled screening and isolation procedures, and to consider adjusting flight schedules to minimise interaction between high-risk passengers and other travellers.

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Another Nigerian goes in for allegedly calling for coup against Tinubu

Published

5 hours ago

June 10, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Justice Akintoye Aluko of the Federal High Court, Lagos on Tuesday ordered the remand of Paul Jibrin Oweleke in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged cybercrime offences linked to social media broadcasts that allegedly called for overthrow of President Bola Tinubu.

Specifically, Oweleke, in a two-count charge was accused of publishing posts on his online platform known as “Oweleke TV”, urging the Nigerian military to remove the President from office in a manner similar to takeovers in some West African countries, an act the agency said bordered on incitement and the use of a computer system to disseminate content considered prejudicial to national security and constitutional governance.

Oweleke’s broadcasts, the agency stressed, were capable of inciting public disorder and promoting disaffection against the government, which will undermine the country’s democracy.

Legal argument had ensued immediately after Oweleke, pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his lawyer kicking vehemently against the prayer of the agency that the court should order his remand pending the commencement of trial, on the ground that a bail application had already been filed and served on the prosecution.

But Aluko, who was persuaded to grant the prayer, went with the DSS, while adjourning the matter to June 16 for the hearing of the bail application, stating that Oweleke, would remain in the facility of the agency pending the outcome.

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We’ll cripple all health institutions if FG refuses to pay us – resident doctors

Published

5 hours ago

June 10, 2026

Whirlwindnews

By June 29 all medical doctors in public hospitals in Nigeria will drop their stethoscopes and other instruments of healthcare, unless the Federal Government settles all unpaid allowances, salary arrears, delayed training funds, and worsening welfare concerns of its members across the country’s health sector.

This was the notice served to the government on Monday, through The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the umbrella under which the doctors operate, after rising from Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) held in Kano.

In the 21-day ultimatum to the government, the doctors warned that it would not be able to guarantee industrial harmony if the issues remain unresolved within the 21-day period.

In the resolution conveying their position, signed by Mohammad Suleiman, President, Shuaibu Ibrahim, Secretary-General, and Abdulmajid Yahya Ibrahim, Publicity and Social Secretary, on Friday, the body regretted that government had failed to fulfil several commitments to doctors despite repeated assurances and engagements.

“The association hereby declares an industrial dispute with the federal government of Nigeria on the outlined matters above and cannot guarantee industrial harmony after the 21-day window period given to address all the demands,” the communique reads.

The association said it is giving the federal government the 21-day window to commence concrete actions towards the development and implementation of a national healthcare workers assault prevention and response protocol
and the initiation of the necessary legislative process to address the menace.

NARD also demanded the release and payment of the 2026 medical residency training fund (MRTF) to all eligible resident doctors nationwide within the next 21 days.

The association questioned the unpaid salary and promotion arrears in several federal and state health institutions, as well as discrepancies in professional allowances reflected in members’ May 2026 salaries.

It highlighted the welfare issues affecting house officers, including salary delays, unpaid arrears, and difficulties with internship placement and onboarding processes that remain unresolved.

It also accused Motunrayo Omidiran, executive chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), of delaying the issuance of letters of compliance to federal health institutions, noting that the delay has hampered recruitment efforts, manpower shortages, and brain drain in the sector.

NARD expressed worries about the increasing assaults, harassment, intimidation, and violent attacks against doctors while on duty, demanding the arrests, investigation, and prosecution of perpetrators.

It called for the establishment of a national healthcare workers’ assault prevention and response protocol within 21 days by the federal government and security agencies.

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