Former workers of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State, who were disengaged in 2017, have appealed to the university management to bring them back to work.
They also said the current Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ngozi Akanwa, should not be blamed for their disengagement or recent staff recruitment at the institution.
The appeal was made in a statement released on Sunday by Reverend Ifeanyi Remy on behalf of the affected workers.
They said they were still hopeful that the university authorities would review their case and give them another opportunity to serve the institution.
The group explained that they had earlier taken legal action over their disengagement but later decided to withdraw the case while waiting for the university to consider their request for reinstatement.
According to the workers, reports linking the current Vice-Chancellor to their removal from service were false.
They said Professor Akanwa had no role in either the recruitment exercise or the events that led to their disengagement.
They stated that the recruitment exercise was carried out during the administration of the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Professor Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, and insisted that the current leadership should not be held responsible for decisions made before Professor Akanwa assumed office.
The former employees also accused the previous administration of failing to honour an understanding that some of the disengaged workers would be recalled when approval was granted to employ more staff.
They claimed that after the university received approval to recruit 426 workers, about 150 of those who lost their jobs in 2017 should have been reinstated before new employees were hired.
The workers further alleged that instead of limiting recruitment to the approved figure, the university employed 618 people, a move they described as an unnecessary mistake.
Despite the development, the disengaged staff members said they remained committed to the university and appealed to the management to review their case and approve their reinstatement.
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