The Federal College of Agriculture in Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, is experiencing a crisis as a result of the appointment of two provosts: Professor Agwu Ekwe and Dr. Jonah Nwawuisi.
Nwawuisi served as the college’s acting provost last year, and on this month’s tenth, Ekwe was named substantive provost.
Due to the leadership problem, the college’s Joint Union Action (JUA) and Academic Staff Union of Colleges of Agriculture (ASUCA) sealed the Provost’s office and the school gate on Monday after rejecting Agwu’s appointment by the federal government as the substantive Provost.
Tension at the college increased as a result of the unions’ protests, which halted academic operations.
The institution’s Chairman of Joint Union Action, Dr. ThankGod Nwaneri, stated that he disregarded the two Provosts’ directions because he couldn’t decide which to follow.
Dr. Jonah Nwawuisi was our acting provost up until this point. On April 10, 2026, they claimed to have appointed Professor Agwu Ekwe, however I would argue that this was an illegitimate appointment.
As a matter of fact, we are currently unsure of the true Provost because, yesterday, I received instructions from two separate provosts, and I disregarded them as I was unsure of which to obey.
The problem is that we have qualified candidates who applied for the job, but they haven’t received an invitation for an oral or written interview till today.
“So, why did they appoint someone without following the proper procedures? They should adhere to the proper procedure, but we are not against the person they appointed.
“We have qualified candidates for the college’s provost job here.
“Institutions like colleges will become brain drains if we keep encouraging university academics to work in agricultural colleges. The problem is that you can’t reach the pinnacle, therefore people will start to depart.
“The college should be conducting academic activities, but the system has already been impacted by the local problem.
We actually locked the gate in the morning, but in the afternoon we made the decision to open it. Thus, the current situation is already having an impact on the system.
The Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria ordered the punitive relocation of the College Registrar, the Procurement Officer, and the former Director of Works to Kwara, Kaduna, and Benin, respectively. This conflict was recently resolved.
“There was no obvious reason for these activities. They seem targeted, arbitrary, and generally disapproved of. Fairness, administrative propriety, and respect for institutional due process are all seriously called into question by this.
The obvious violation of due process in Professor Agwu Ekwe’s appointment as this college’s substantive provost is more concerning.
It is documented that the Governing Council posted job openings for Chief Executive Officer and Provost positions in seven Colleges of Agriculture in June 2025.
After submitting their applications, qualified applicants have been waiting for invitations to written exams and oral interviews.
But on April 10, 2026, Ishiagu was selected out and a substantive Provost was appointed, which was a startling occurrence. This move ignored other applicants and collaborating institutions while circumventing the established system. It is inconsistent and a clear insult to justice, openness, and the rule of law,” he said.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to take immediate action to resolve the situation, remove the university professor who had been appointed as the college’s provost, and replace him with a member of the College of Agriculture.
Dr. Kadurumba Chukwuemeka, National President of the Academic Staff Union of Colleges of Agriculture, stated that the union also disapproved of the appointment of a University Professor as Provost of the College of Agriculture, Ishiagu, characterizing it as unacceptable, unjustifiable, and a blatant transgression of established protocols and guidelines governing college administration.
In order to address long-standing structural issues, he called for the immediate withdrawal of the appointment, the start of a transparent and credible selection process for all seven affected colleges, the completion of the appointment of substantive provosts in all seven colleges within 14 days, and the immediate release of the revised scheme and conditions of service for Colleges of Agriculture.
He stated that if the problems are not resolved within the 14-day deadline, the previously halted strike will resume, with protests taking place in every zone.
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