The Chairperson of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian universities (SSANU) Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Dr Njideka Nwangwu has said that the Association cannot Succumb To cheap Blackmail.
She stated this in a statement made available to the media in reaction to a recent publication where the University Postgraduate College was alleged to be involved in extortion and other things.
According to the SSANU Chairperson, who is also the Secretary of the College, the publication is completely false and unfounded as there are no cases of extortion of any kind in the College of Postgraduate Studies, Nnamdi Azikiwe University.
The statement read:
REBUTTAL OF “ROT IN UNIZIK POSTGRADUATE COLLEGE, WHERE A STAFF EXTORTS MONEY FROM PG STUDENTS WITH THE CONSENT OF THE PROVOST OF THE COLLEGE”
I Comr. Dr. Njideka Nwangwu, the Chairperson, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Nnamdi Azikiwe University, a Deputy Registrar and, the Secretary to the College of Postgraduate Studies, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, hereby put up a rebuttal of the publication by “Akelicious.net/2024/05/” of May 14, 2024, titled “ROT IN UNIZIK POSTGRADUATE COLLEGE, WHERE A STAFF EXTORTS MONEY FROM PG STUDENTS WITH THE CONSENT OF THE PROVOST OF THE COLLEGE”
May I use this medium to inform the University Community and the general Public that the above publication is completely false and unfounded. There are no cases of extortion of any kind in the College of Postgraduate Studies, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The crop of staff in the College are exceptional, diligent and dedicated to the goal, vision and mission of the University rooted in Discipline, Self-Reliance and Excellence. The College is open to any form of investigation as regards the said accusations, as the integrity of our great University and the College in particular, has always been and would continue to be in high esteem.
To establish the point of our rebuttal, I challenge the author or any of the said extorted students to provide any evidence of such payment for results. If the faceless author is courageous enough, if he believes he is speaking the truth, let him announce his name and show his face! If he is man or woman enough, let him appear!
However, the University community and the Public may wish to know that the said publication by “Akelicious.net/2024/05/” is not far from the hand of Esau and voice of Jacob. The effort of the faceless author to link the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Nnamdi Azikiwe University to the alleged “Rot in the Postgraduate College” may not be unconnected to the fight by SSANU against the illegal appointment of one Emmanuel Ojukwu, an academic staff to have oversight of the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) of Nnamdi Azikiwe University. This is a non-teaching staff position as contained in the Senior Staff Conditions of Service of the University. This office has been hijacked by the said Emmanuel Ojukwu who is an academic staff in the Department of Political Science of the University.
On 2nd May, 2024, I, Dr. Njideka Nwagwu, the Chairperson of SSANU, communicated to the University Administration, the resolutions of the Congress of SSANU on the illegal appointment of Emmanuel Ojukwu, an academic staff, to the non-teaching staff office of Directorate of Information and Public Relations of our University. The SSANU Congress gave the University Administration seven days to rescind the illegal appointment of Emmanuel Ojukwu. Since then, the said Emmanuel Ojukwu has not rested as he has devised one means after another to attack the Union and the person of the Chairperson of SSANU.
This will explain the connection to the source close to the PRO unit of the University as contained in the said publication. The first corruption that requires investigation is what Emmanuel Ojukwu is doing in the Directorate of Information and Public Relations of the University. An office he left five years ago after occupying it for over twelve (12) years. An assurance we give to him and his cohorts is that no amount of blackmail will force the Union to back down on the just struggle of getting him back to the classroom so that a non-teaching staff is rightly appointed to the non-teaching staff office.
And to drag the name of Prof. Philomena Igbokwe, the Provost of the College into this dirty publication is unfortunate. Prof. P. K. Igbokwe is not just the Provost of our College. She is the immediate past Chairman of the Committee of Provosts and Deans of Postgraduate Colleges and Schools of Nigerian Universities. She is one of the most respected professors of our University and one of the frontline female professors of Chemical Engineering in Nigeria. All who know her know that she is a very disciplined person and an Administrator to the core. Since her assumption of the seat as the Provost of the College, she has always ensured timely graduation of students and would always do everything humanly possible to maintain discipline and sanity in the College. Dragging her name into this is desperation at its worst!
Finally, let me repeat that the faceless author of the blackmailing publication should announce his name, show his face including that of the extorted and prove their case. Until theydo that, we want to assure Emmanuel Ojukwu that he cannot rest in the non-teaching staff office that he has hijacked.
The struggle continues!
Comr. Dr. Njideka Nwangwu
Deputy Registrar/Secretary, College of Postgraduate Studies,
Chairperson, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU),
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
Let’s see the publication. We could help you root your problems openly.