I served university for six months, sent away without receiving any salary – Physically-challenged Nwosu

For 16 long years after earning his degree from the Abia State University, Uturu, in 2010, Mr. Alexander Nwosu, a Person Living with Disability (PWD), searched for jobs and hopefully held firmly to one belief: that someday he would secure a job and life would smile on him.

Despite living with a deformity in one of his legs, Nwosu who hails from Umuda Isingwu, Ohuhu Clan of Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State, refused to surrender to despair. Rather than become dependent on charity, he sustained himself by raising and selling seedlings of different plants while searching for meaningful employment.

That long-awaited opportunity finally came in 2025 when the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), advertised for vacancies. Like many hopeful applicants, Nwosu

applied and was eventually offered employment as an Administrative Assistant Officer in February 2026.

For him, it marked the end of years of uncertainty. Filled with excitement, he completed every requirement for the appointment, including medical fitness examinations and other documentations, before resuming duty. He was posted to the Pension Unit, Room 215, in the university’s administrative complex.

Every working day, Nwosu climbed the stairs to the second floor despite his physical disability. The daily struggle never discouraged him because he believed the sacrifices would soon be rewarded with his first salary.

To sustain himself, he told Vanguard that he even sold some of his personal gadgets to raise transportation fare to work, convinced that once salaries commenced, he would gradually recover from the financial strain.

According to him, more than the income, the job represented dignity. It rekindled his hope of becoming financially independent, getting married and raising a family after years of waiting.

Sadly that hope has now given way to uncertainty. Months after resuming work, Nwosu said he had yet to receive any salary. Instead, he said that he and several others recently received official letters from the university to stop work and their identity cards were retrieved from them.

The development, according to him, followed a meeting where the affected workers were reportedly informed that the institution had been directed to revert to an approved employment quota.

According to Nwosu, management explained that although 727 appointments had reportedly been made under the previous administration, the university was given approval to recruit 426 personnel.

“The management told us their hands were tied because they had received directives from Abuja to work with the approved number,” Nwosu narrated with tears.

Confused by the letter handed to him, Nwosu said he was unsure whether he had been disengaged or was expected to continue reporting for duty. “I don’t even understand what my status is – whether I have been sacked or if I am still a staff member. I am more confused because they have collected my ID card. I have not been paid since I started work. I want clarity and, above all, an opportunity to continue serving,” he said.

A copy of the letter titled “RE: OFFER OF APPOINTMENT”, and sighted by our Correspondent read in part: “We refer to earlier correspondence to you on the above subject matter, dated 27th February, 2026 as well as subsequent GIFMIS enrollment exercise undertaken for the enrollment of appointees on the salary platform for the purpose of salary payment.

“We regret to inform you that the above mentioned GIFMIS enrollment exercise resulted in your being adjudged “Surplus to Needs”. Therefore, your earlier appointment letter cannot be backed-up with salary payment. It is frustrated until further directives on the subject matter”.

Nwosu, however, absolved the current management of the university of any wrongdoing but acknowledged that it had explained its constraints under which it was operating.

He, therefore, made a passionate appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Education, for their intervention.

“I am appealing to Mr President to kindly consider my peculiar situation as a Person With Disability and direct that I be accommodated. I have searched for employment for 16 years after graduation. I don’t want to become a burden to society. I only want to work, earn an honest living and contribute my quota to the nation’s development.

“My parents are late. I dream of getting married and raising my own family. Time is running out on me. I am now 45 and I struggled hard to go to university, hoping to have a better life. Returning to the labour market after finally believing I had secured a federal job is emotionally devastating.”

Nwosu admitted that the prolonged uncertainty has taken a heavy emotional toll on him.

“There are moments when hopeless thoughts come, but I reject them and continue praying that God will touch the hearts of those in authority to intervene. I believe the President is compassionate and will hear our cry.”

He added that the situation extends beyond him, noting that several others affected by the development are passing through severe hardship. According to him, the emotional and financial strain has been enormous, with reports that a few of the affected workers, including a pregnant woman, have sadly lost their lives during the period of uncertainty.

Meanwhile, a senior university official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the current management should not be blamed for the situation. According to the source, the university is merely implementing directives from the appropriate authorities regarding the approved employment quota.

“Whatever is happening is not the making of the current management. Their hands are tied because they are operating within directives from Abuja,” the source explained.

Asked whether the affected workers had been dismissed, the official maintained that no formal sack or disengagement had taken place. “We did not sack anybody. We were simply instructed to work with the

approved number. If another directive comes from Abuja tomorrow, we will gladly comply.

“The Vice-Chancellor is a compassionate leader and would readily accommodate everyone if circumstances permitted. But she is bound by regulations and cannot act outside the directives of the authorities. The letter issued to the affected workers did not use the word ‘sack’.” The University didn’t sack anybody, we’re seeking clarification from Abuja

When contacted, the University Registrar, Dr. Nkeiruka Mbanaso, expressed sympathy with the affected workers, insisting, however, that the university did not terminate anybody’s appointment.

According to her, the institution is still making efforts to ascertain why some of the newly recruited staff were not captured on the Federal Government’s payroll platform handled by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF).

She explained that officials from the Accountant General’s Office conducted the staff capturing exercise at the university and later uploaded the names into the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).

“After the capturing exercise, the list was forwarded and we confirmed that many of them were captured. However, when the Bursar printed the names that eventually appeared on the GIFMIS platform, we discovered that some persons who had been captured were omitted,” she said.

Dr. Mbanaso said the university sought explanations from the visiting officials but was not informed how the final list of beneficiaries was determined.

She stressed that the institution had not abandoned the affected workers but had advised those whose names did not appear on the payroll platform to stop reporting for duty pending clarification, noting that it would be unfair for them to continue working without remuneration.

“The university did not terminate anybody’s appointment. Capturing for payment is not done by the university but by the Office of the Accountant General in Abuja. We are still making efforts to establish what actually happened and why some staff were not captured for payment,” she added.

Ex-Abia SSG urges Tinubu to act swiftly.

Meanwhile, an elder statesman and a former Secretary to the Abia State Government (SSG), Dr. Eme Okoro, has appealed passionately to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene by directing that the affected workers be captured on the Federal Government payroll and allowed to continue with their job.

Describing the situation as painful and unfortunate, Dr. Okoro said it was distressing that workers who had faithfully resumed duty and rendered services for months without receiving salaries were now facing uncertainty.

“It is heartbreaking, especially at a time when millions of Nigerians are grappling with economic hardship. These young men and women accepted employment in good faith, worked diligently for months and now find themselves in limbo,” he said.

The elder statesman urged the President to see the matter as an opportunity to demonstrate compassionate leadership by protecting the hopes and aspirations of the affected workers. He further suggested that the Federal Government could consider expanding MOUAU into a conventional university with broader academic programmes, a move he said would create room for more students, additional staff and greater national development.

“Mr President, I respectfully appeal to you to use your good offices to restore hope to these Nigerians. They are not asking for charity; they only seek the opportunity to continue serving their country. Investing in human capital is one of the surest ways to reduce unemployment, discourage crime and strengthen national development.

“Please intervene and put smiles back on the faces of these affected workers. They are Nigerians whose only desire is to contribute meaningfully to society through honest employment,” Dr. Okoro pleaded.

For Alexander Nwosu, however, the legal and administrative distinctions matter less than the uncertainty surrounding his future. His singular plea is for compassionate intervention. After 16 years of waiting, he says he is not asking for charity, but the opportunity to continue working, earn a living with dignity, marry and raise his own family, and ultimately prove that physical disability should never be a barrier to productivity or hope.

Abia Govt urges special consideration for PWDs

Special Assistant to the Abia State Governor on Persons Living with Disability, Mr. David Anyaele, urged the federal government to consider PWDs in the recruitment at MOUAU, noting that the Abia State Disability Law prescribes special priority to qualified persons with disabilities in recruitment exercises.

He said the law prohibits discrimination in employment and mandates public institutions to reserve opportunities for persons with disabilities, adding that some recruitment procedures are waived in Abia to accommodate their peculiar needs.

“The law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in employment. They should be given priority and special consideration during recruitment, with necessary procedures adjusted to reflect their peculiar needs,” Anyaele said.