Ifeanyichukwu Iroha has been appointed the new substantive provost of the Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu, in the Ivo LGA of Ebonyi.

Mr Iroha’s appointment followed the withdrawal of the letter of appointment earlier issued to Ekwe Agwu on April 10, 2026.

Mr Iroha confirmed his new appointment in an interview on Tuesday in Abakaliki.

The new provost, prior to his appointment, was a lecturer in the Department of Applied Microbiology at Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki.

According to the letter of withdrawal of appointment for the former provost, signed by Abubakar Dabban, executive secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, dated May 11, the termination is effective immediately.

Mr Dabban noted that the letter superseded all previous letters issued to the former provost.

The letter addressed to Mr Agwu was captioned ‘Withdrawal of Letter of Appointment as Provost/CEO of the Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu, Ebonyi State’.

“Sequel to the Council’s appointment letter issued to you as Provost of Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu, vide a letter with ref: ARCN/11/01/S.2/11/316 of April 10, 2026, in line with the approval of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu.

“This is to inform you of the withdrawal of your appointment letter with immediate effect. This letter supersedes all the previous letters issued to you by the council,” said the letter.

Mr Iroha is a professor of medical microbiology with a specialisation in pharmaceutical microbiology.

He is an indigene of the Ishiagu community in the Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi and the second indigenous provost of the institution since its establishment in 1992.

The professor began his lecturing career in the Department of Applied Microbiology at EBSU in 2004 and is a recognised expert in antimicrobial resistance and molecular characterisation.

The distinguished academic was the former head of the Department of Applied Microbiology and the former dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies at EBSU.

In October 2025, he was appointed as the pioneer provost of the College of Postgraduate Studies at the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu.

Mr Iroha obtained his Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and PhD from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, respectively.

The professor of medical microbiology is a seasoned researcher with over 180 publications who won a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany.

He conducted research on Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamases at Ruhr Universität Bochum (2009–2011). His research specialises in antimicrobial resistance, molecular characterisation, and pharmaceutical microbiology, including topics on MRSA and resistance genes.

Mr Iroha is a prominent figure in microbiology education in Nigeria and is often referenced as a speaker at academic conferences.

(NAN)