Alleged Financial Misappropriation: Media Team Dismisses Allegations Against Former MOUAU Vice-Chancellor
The Media Team of the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Prof. Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, has refuted allegations of financial and administrative mismanagement levelled against his administration, describing them as false, misleading and a deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, the team reacted to online reports linking the purported suspension of the university’s Registrar and Bursar by the Governing Council to alleged irregularities during Prof. Iwe’s tenure, insisting that such reports were baseless and sponsored.
According to the statement, the issues raised were based on the 2021–2022 audit query, which it said had already been adequately addressed by Prof. Iwe through media engagements, submissions to relevant government authorities and several meetings with members of the university community.
The media team maintained that the former Vice-Chancellor’s administration was never investigated or indicted by any government-constituted panel throughout its five-year tenure. It contrasted this with a previous administration that was reportedly investigated by Ministerial and Presidential Visitation Panels, alleging that the current Governing Council had failed to implement the directives contained in the White Paper issued by the Visitor to the University.
It further stated that due process, accountability and prudent management of resources were hallmarks of Prof. Iwe’s administration, adding that no member of his management team had been found culpable by any investigative body.
The statement also described the recently constituted administrative panel set up to examine the implementation of Governing Council decisions between July 2024 and February 2026 as a “targeted witch-hunt” rather than a genuine accountability exercise.
The media team accused the Governing Council of concentrating on actions that allegedly undermine the progress made under the previous administration instead of attracting new facilities and development projects to the institution.
Reaffirming confidence in Prof. Iwe’s stewardship, the statement said his achievements in infrastructure, academics, administration and institutional development had been well documented and remained visible across the university.
It added that the former Vice-Chancellor was willing to appear before any properly constituted Presidential Visitation Panel to present a comprehensive financial, academic and administrative report of his tenure, supported by relevant documents.
The media team urged members of the public, university staff, students and alumni to disregard what it described as malicious reports aimed at damaging the reputation of the former Vice-Chancellor, insisting that his contributions significantly transformed the academic, economic, social and spiritual landscape of the institution during his five years in office.
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