The Civil Liberties Organization, CLO has slammed Nigeria’s minister of education, Nyesom Wike for allegedly aiding corruption at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
The organization on Wednesday demanded the immediate recall of the suspended pro-chancellor of UNN, Dr. Emeka Enejere.
The statement entitled “EXPOSURE OF MASSIVE CORRUPTION; REMOVAL OF PRO CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA (UNN), BY THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION- UNLAWFUL AND ILLEGAL AND A GRAND PLAN TO CRIPPLE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE SOUTHEAST”, was signed by the CLO coordinator in South-East, Olu Omotayo.
According to the CLO, “President Dramani Mahama of Ghana in his determination to improve the lots of Ghana as a nation recently stated that Ghana as a nation will tackle corruption in three ways namely: By exposing it; By preventing it; and By imposing sanction.
“But the opposite is the case in Nigeria where Dr. Enejere the Pro Chancellor of University of Nigeria (UNN), was illegally removed from office by the Minister for Education, because the Governing Council of the University exposed the massive corruption going on in the University.
“The most shameful and annoying part of this incident is that the Minister lack the power to remove and appoint a Pro Chancellor. The appointment and removal of a Pro Chancellor of the University is clearly stated in the “University of Nigeria Act, Cap U11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, as amended.
It should be noted that despite series of protests by the University community and public outcry by other well meaning Nigerians, the President of the Federal Republic who is the Visitor to the University and on whom such power resides has deliberately kept mute because the said Minister is of South South extraction and this clearly shows how ethnicity and tribalism has greatly affected the fabric of the nation thereby posing a great threat to the country”.
It continued that, “The massive corruption being perpetrated by Prof. Barth Okolo, first came to the limelight when the students of the University staged demonstration from the 16th – 18th January 2010. The protest brought to fore the corruption, maladministration and irregularities in the administration of the university by the Vice Chancellor.
“The Vice Chancellor in order to silence the students immediately expelled four students union leaders namely: Kingsley Asogwa (the Senate President of the student union); Samuel Ani (the Deputy Clerk of the Senate of the student union), Daniel Alagboso (Chairman senate Committee on staff and student relationship); and Akwuruoha Maxwell ( a member of the student union house of representatives).
All appeals made by our organisation to the university authority and the Governing Council to reinstate the students proved abortive. It was not until when we filed an action at the Federal High Court, that we were able to get the judgment reinstating three of the students namely: Ani, Alagboso and akwuruoha, though the University is still contesting the judgment at the Court of Appeal.
“The University Council that suppose to uphold justice at that particular time on the case of the student union leaders took the shameful part of aiding the corruption in the university and failed to ensure that justice was done in respect of the student union leaders case.
Now the same Governing Council has been swallowed up in the trench of corruption dug by the Vice Chancellor, while they look the other way at the initial stage when corruption in the university was growing its’ fangs but we shall not because of that support this dastardly and condemnable act”.
The CLO while accusing national assembly members from the South-East zone of failing in their duties said “almost all the federal roads in the southeast are completely dilapidated; Enugu- Onitsha expressway has been converted to single lane because of the dilapidated condition of the road.
Most of the road are death traps and nothing is being done to address this issue, instead the National Assembly members from the Southeast are traveling up and down by plane and some of them are even using helicopters to move within the zone. Now the only pride of the South-East, the University of Nigeria, is about to be destroyed, it doesn't concern them as issue of bad road doesnt concern them.
“To use the words of the Governor of Enugu state which he used in relation to members of the national assembly from the state, we believe that the governor assertion that national assembly members are far from the people they represented, is applicable to all the national assembly members from the zone.
“Since the commencement of the process to annihilate the University of Nigeria, the Pride of the East, none of the national assembly members has deemed it fit to speak on the need to preserve the legacy of the Great Zik, Okpara and the rest. They have not condemn what is going on or address the illegality of what the Minister for education did instead they are always addressing press conferences re echoing the same old story of declaring support to President Jonathan leaving pressing issues affecting the masses, students and the people who elected them.
The Deputy Senate President the highest ranking political officer who hails from this zone did not see anything wrong in what the minister for education is doing hence his refusal to condemn this action”.
It, therefore, demanded “the immediate reinstatement of Dr. Enejere, the Pro Chancellor of the University of Nigeria because this type of flagrant abuse of power has never happened in the history of this country, even under the military regime, a Minister never woke up and remove a Pro chancellor of a federal university. This is an attack and insults on our sensibilities as Nigerians and particularly an attack on the people of South-East.
“We believe that no minister of education will wake up and remove the Pro chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University: Obafemi Awolowo University or University of Ibadan, which are institutions of the same standing with the University of Nigeria in other geo political zones.
“For this country to move forward, we should fight corruption in all ramifications and avoid ethnicity, tribalism in taking important decisions that affect people of this country”.
