The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Prof. Ikechukwu Dozie, has announced the reversal of the appointment of 24 personal aides.
This comes as the Vice-Chancellor has been summoned to attend a meeting with officials of the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja on Monday, June 29.
FUTO Registrar, Chiedozie Uba, in a circular dated June 24 and addressed to the university community, disclosed that the appointments previously conveyed through a memo had been withdrawn with immediate effect.
The memo read, “Please refer to our memo Ref: FUT/REG/CR/CIR.4 dated June 22, 2026, on the above subject.
“I have been directed to notify the University Community that all the appointments previously conveyed through the above-quoted memo are hereby withdrawn with immediate effect,” the registrar said.
The reversal came after the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, summoned the Vice-Chancellor to Abuja over the alleged irregular appointment of 24 aides in his office.
The letter was signed by the Acting Director of University Education, Dr. Kareem Olalekan, on behalf of the Minister of Education, but was leaked.
The minister described the appointments as irregular and inconsistent with regulations governing Nigeria’s federal universities.
The ministry said the appointments were “at variance with the extant regulations, established procedures, and the principles of due process governing appointments within the Federal University System.”
The ministry ordered the immediate withdrawal of the appointments and demanded documentary proof that the directive had been implemented.
Part of the letter read, “The attention of the Honourable Minister of Education has been drawn to your Memorandum Ref. No. FUT/REG/CR/CIR/4 dated 22 June 2026 (copy attached) concerning the appointment of twenty-four (24) aides in various capacities within the Office of the Vice-Chancellor.
“Upon careful consideration of the contents of the memorandum and the circumstances surrounding the appointments, the Honourable Minister is constrained to observe that the appointments, as presently constituted, are irregular and are at variance with the extant regulations, established procedures, and the principles of due process governing appointments within the Federal University System.
“In light of the foregoing, I am directed to request that the said memorandum be withdrawn forthwith and that documentary evidence confirming the withdrawal be forwarded to the ministry without delay in compliance with the directive of the Honourable Minister.”
Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor is expected to appear at a meeting with ministry officials on Monday, June 29, 2026.
