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• 3 appointed, removed in one week
From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
Confusion has heightened at the Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, over the position of Provost of the school.
There has been confusion and tension in the college since last month, following the appointment of Professor Agwu Ekwe Agwu as the substantive Provost of the college.
Agwu was appointed the substantive provost on April 10, 2026 to take over from Dr. Jonah Nwawuisi, who has been in the acting capacity since last year.
The Academic Staff Union of Colleges of Agriculture (ASUCA) and the Joint Action Union (JAU) of the college rejected Agwu’s appointment and prevented him from taking over from Nwawuisi as the substantive Provost, citing non-adherence to due process in the appointment and not coming from an agric college background.
However, Agwu returned to the college the following day amidst tight security and took control of the institution after security agencies unlocked the gates to the college and the Provost’s office.
Agwu has been the provost of the college after the melodrama last month. But tension and confusion has heightened in the school following the appointment of Professor Ifeanyichukwu Iroha as new Provost of the college and the withdrawal of appointment of Professor Agwu Ekwe.
The withdrawal letter was signed by the Executive Secretary, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Dr. Abubakar Dabban, and dated May 11, 2026.
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The withdrawal letter reads in part: “Sequel to the Council’s appointment letter to you as Provost of Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu, vide a letter with ref: ARCN/11/01/S 2/11/116 of April 10, 2026, in line with the approval of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, (GCFR).
“This is to inform you of the withdrawal of your appointment letter with immediate effect. This letter supercedes all the previous letters issued to you by the council.”
Iroha had confirmed his appointment as the new Provost of the college in an interview with journalists in Abakaliki, the state capital, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.
Agwu hails from Ohaozara Local Government Area in the state, while Iroha hails from Ivo Local Government Area, also in the state.
Both Agwu and Iroha are from university backgrounds. Agwu was appointed from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), while Iroha was appointed from Ebonyi State University (EBSU).
The National President, Academic Staff Union of Colleges of Agriculture, Dr. Chukwuemeka Kadurumba, however, told Daily Sun, same yesterday, that Iroha’s appointment has also been cancelled with Ekwe called back as the Provost.
“Leave those people! They have been removing and appointing provosts in the college. Within last weekend, they changed the Provost of the college three times. The person we saw last as the Provost of the school on Monday evening was Professor Agwu Ekwe Agwu.
“They have removed Professor Iroha; he was removed the same afternoon he was appointed the Provost. He didn’t even get to his house that day he was appointed before he was removed”, Kadurumba said.
