Ireland-Based Women Group Empowers Children With Disabilities

Image courtesy of Anambra State Association Women Ireland

BY OSIBEROHA OSIBE

AWKA, ANAMBRA (THE GUARDIAN)--A non-governmental organisation has empowered three special centres in Anambra State and tasked wealthy members of the public to see it as a challenge to give hope and succour to the less privileged.

The group, Anambra State Association Women Ireland (ASA WOMEN Ireland) presented school desks with chairs, wheel chairs, computers and accessories, among other educational equipment to Recdott Secondary School, Ozubulu, Diocesan Special Education Centre, Nnewi, and Special Education Centre, Umuchu, all in the state.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, the group’s President, Lady Theodora Ayagwu said the organisation, comprising of women of Anambra State descent, was formed and registered in 2012 to uplift the less privileged in the state.

Ayagwu said they mobilise for fund and materials abroad and channel them home to add value and give back to society. She said aside donating school materials, the group also carries out cancer awareness for women.Also, the group’s Vice President, Nonye Anuche said the gesture was to give children with disabilities a sense of belonging, especially during the festive period.

Anuche berated parents, who hide children with disabilities, urging them to bring them out for proper care.Delivering a paper entitled, World of Disability and Health, a lecturer with Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Dr. Ifeyinwa Iloh, said people should focus more on abilities, rather than disabilities of an individual, stressing that there is ability in any disability.

UNIZIK Champions Igbo Cultural Renaissance

Nnamdi Azikiwe University

BY ALOYSIUS ATTAH

The Directorate of Igbo Village and Centre for African Civilisation (IVACAC), Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, has lived up to its billing in the promotion of Igbo culture and civilisation to the globe, since it was established in the 2016/2017 academic session of the university.

Back to back, the centre has held the new yam festival, Ohazurume Igbo lecture as well as other cultural exhibitions that exposed the lessons of the Igbo African heritage.

This year’s new yam festival and Eze-na-Ifite Igbo conference was unique as it brought together Igbo scholars and culture enthusiasts, traditional rulers and student researchers on Igbo affairs.

The forum reaffirmed the need to continue talking about “Igboness”; that is what concerns the Igbo people and the need for “Igwebuike: which connotes the spirit of oneness, collectivism and communalism as opposed to individualism and selfishness.

Welcoming guests to the ceremony, Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Charles Esimone described the theme of the ceremony: “Igbo culture and civilization”, as a tantalizing theme rendered “quite germane in the face of a putative cultural asphyxia said to be dangling ominously over Igbo culture”.

Represented by Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, Prof Fredrick Odibo, Esimone said the Igbo have always been self-sufficient and that there was need to ask questions and proffer solutions on what happened to the Igbo enterprise, why things were not working well and to appraise where the Igbo were heading to.

Chairman of the occasion, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka (Ogirishi Igbo), said his heart was gladdened by what was witnessed in the university named after the Great Zik of Africa by the awakening of the Igbo spirit. He said that so many crops in Igbo were going extinct likewise other medicinal plants endowed to the Igbo free by nature due to the loss of interest exhibited by most Igbo of today and called for sustainability of the Igbo village and its activities in the university.

President, Naturecracy Association International, Prince Chinedu Nsofor, while presenting a keynote address on the spiritual significance of celebrating new yam festival, said western civilisation brought the Igbo many goodies but caused them more harm in dislodging the cultural heritage of Igbo and African civilization.

He urged the Igbo not to continue lamenting the injustices and errors in the foundation of Nigeria or continue to clamour for war but rather resurrect the intrinsic powers inherent in the epic “Igbo sense” to chart a new destiny for the Igbo nation.

Nsoffor advocated for ‘naturecracy’ as the way to go so as to enable the Igbo go back to nature and true culture. He described it as a ‘think home philosophy’.

Director, IVACAC, Rev. Fr. (Prof.) Bona Christus Umeogu, in a discourse on Iri ji, Ezi-na-Ifite and Igbo village, said yam is not only an Igbo affair as almost all continents of the world have yam in their respective traditions.

He listed various species of yam in Igbo tradition to include Ji ocha, Ji Oko, Ji Anunu, Ji Adaka, Ji Mbuna/Abana, Ji Mmiri, Ji Ofia, Ji Ona, Ji Adu, Ji Nwanyi eri, etcetera.

“New yam festival in Igboland is the king of all festivals and includes lot of Igbo cultural things like thanksgiving, kolanut breaking, masquerade performance, theatrical and dance exhibitions.

“The issue of thanksgiving during new yams harvest and festival has always been a thorny issue. Before the coming of the Church in Igbo land, the people have Ifejioku as the god of yams, the god of fire and the god of harvests. Because of this, some people think that new yam festival is a “pagan” festival but the answer must be given this way: with the coming of the church in Igbo land, Igbo people who are converted (Christian, Islamic, etc) are no longer bound to give their thanksgiving to Ani or Ifejioku, but to the God of their religion.

“It will be of importance to make it clear, at last, that yams in Igbo land are not only used for food, commerce and sacrifice, they are also used for healing purposes. For instance, the potassium and sodium content of yams like Ji Ona, Ji Anunu and others, regulate blood pressure in the human body. The hair and the skin have essential protein content called collagen which the vitamin C in Ji Nwannu increases for the wellbeing of the hair and the skin. A particular type of yam called Ji Adu is rich in manganese, which regulates blood sugar perfectly and helps stop minor kinds of inflammations,” Fr. Bonachristus posited.

Traditional ruler of Awka, Obi Gibson Nwosu, who was Father of the Day, said the entire Igbo communities cultivate yam, but only the Awka community through the iron smelting craft, produces the hoes that are used in cultivating yam.

South East Pensioners Bemoan Neglect

South East Pensioner image via The Sun

BY OBINNA ODOGWU, GEORGE ONYEJIUWA, OKEY SAMPSON, CHIJIOKE AGWU, JUDE CHINEDU

Pensioners in the South East have bemoaned their plight, especially with the backlog of pension arrears owed them.

Daily Sun gathered that lamentations over poor welfare have become the lot of pensioners any time the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) in the region meet.

From non-payment of monthly entitlements to unpaid gratuities, pensioners in Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states share the same fate. Daily Sun learnt that members of the pensioners’ union have been crying to governors of the South East states to make their welfare top priority.

Their cry had been hinged on the death of members because of deprivations of their pensions to buy drugs and foods.

Investigations by Daily Sun revealed that retirees in Ebonyi, Abia, Enugu and Anambra states have one sour tale or another to tell in respect of unpaid gratuity. For instance, it was learnt that some persons who retired about 15 years ago were yet to receive their gratuities in the zone, while some states were paying by instalments.

Zonal Chairman of NUP, Mr. Chukwuma Udensi said pensioners in Abia suffer most as many of them could not keep count of the last time they received their pension.

He also alleged that pensioners in Enugu state earn less than N2,000 monthly, regretting that even the paltry sum was not paid regularly.

Udensi said the trend had left members in agonizing conditions, with some dying out of frustration and poverty.

Chairman of NUP in Ebonyi, Nwofe Okemini alleged that one per cent of pension was illegally deducted from their members by the government and paid to another group of retirees. He said the deduction had been going on for many years and that the recipients were members of a body christened Asociation of Retired Permanent Secretaries.

Vice Chairman of the union in Ebonyi, Ibiam Nkechinyere, has, however, called on the state to include retirees from 2014 in the screening of pensioners for payment of gratuities. She said that selecting only retirees from 2015 to 2019 was not in the best interest of all.

In Anambra, Anthony Ugozor said local government pensioners consisting of retired primary school teachers, local government officers, and officers of the Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB), have not been paid since 2017. He disclosed that they were being owed arrears of local government pensioners for 11 months for those of them that retired from 2002 to 2003, adding that letters written to Governor willie Obiano on the issue had not yielded any result.

“It was 22 months, but Governor Peter Obi paid 16 out of that 22 months leaving 11 months. But he approved it for payment, but it has not been paid up till now,” he said.

Similarly, the Zonal Secretary of NUP, Livinus Ashiegbu, at a meeting in Abakaliki, raised concerns over the death of members because of deprivations of their pensions to buy drugs and foods.

“The condition of pensioners in the South East is deteriorating; it is unheard of and it is inhuman. Pensioners are not treated as Nigerians. I wonder if they are citizens. And the nation forgets that these are the people that have built up the state.

“The time they need this little money from their saved salary, they are denied of it for years. The question of gratuity is the most pathetic. For example, since 1998 in Imo no pensioner has received his gratuity if it is above N500,000,” he said.

Like in Enugu, Ugozor lamented that some of the pensioners receive below N2,000 as monthly pension and he called for harmonisation of the pensions.

“Some receive N2,000 while some receive less than N2,000 every month as pension. That is why we are calling for review. Recently, there was minimum wage review to N30,000. We are saying that pension should be reviewed side by side with minimum wage so that pensioners will feel a bit better.

“When the minimum wage of N18,000 was implemented about 10 years ago, there was no review of pension because the constitution of Nigeria talked of the review of pension every five years or whenever the salary of the civil service workers is increased. This is in section 210 subsection 3 of the 1999 constitution (as amended). It is not implemented and the pensioners don’t have the capacity, or the will, to go on strike because they are not serving again.

“For you to understand it, pensioners that retired on one grade level in 1990 or 1980 receive very little, but pensioners who retired on the same grade level in 2017 or 2018 receive 10 times more than those that retired earlier. So, we are calling for parity. And that parity will be achieved by harmonization of pensions,” he stated.

In Enugu, aside the non-payment of gratuity, the leaderships of labour has decried the condition of local government pensioners, saying they were struggling to cope with pension arrears and gratuity backlog dating from 2005.

Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr Ben Asogwa and his Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) counterpart, Chief Damian Udeani, said that though the state pensioners were paid regularly, the retirees were also burdened with a gratuity backlog from 2009.

Said Asogwa: “2008, 2007 and 2006 have a huge chunk of pensioners that were not paid their gratuity. And the present government came up with an arrangement to be releasing N100million every month so as to take care of their gratuity. Government wants to pay two months until the arrears are cleared;that’s the arrangement now. But the gratuity situation is pathetic. This is both at local and state government level. At local government it was paid last in 2005, at state government level, it was last paid in 2010.”

Asogwa said: “In April this year, Enugu government stopped the release of the N100 million per month, but the governor said recently that he will reinstate it. So, we are looking forward to that and hoping he will do accordingly.”

On the frequent verification exercises for pensioners, Asogwa said it was a good development in assisting to plug fraud in the system. But in Ebonyi, some pensioners called for the standardisation of the verification exercise, claiming that many of them had died in the process.

Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Ebonyi, Leonard Nkah said the last verification of pensioners in the state was in August 2019, adding that the state had paid up to October.

He said labour leaders were in talks with the government to ensure that the November pension was paid.

One states that has given pensioners cause to smile is Imo.

Governor Emeka Ihedioha in the past six months has streamlined the pension system after the biometric verification which uncovered 8, 549 ghost pensioners. The exercise had reduced the monthly pension wage bill of the state to N1.2 billion as against the N 1.4 billion. So far, the administration has paid August, September, October and November pensions via e-payment process.

Chairman of NUP in Imo, P.U. Ugochukwu and Chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Napoleon Aniche have applauded Governor Ihedioha for paying pensioners.

In Abia, pensioners are owed several months of arrears.

But the state government said it is paying N800million monthly as pension, the figure is made up of N500million for civil servants and N300m for local government workers. Commissioner for Information, John Okiyi Kalu said the state had the highest wage bill in the South East arguing that was why it spent so much on pensions payment.

The commissioner described the number of months of arrears of pension being bandied about as untrue, but declined to state the exact figure owed pensioners. He said despite the challenges, which included the paucity of funds in the payment of pensions, the state would make sure that pensioners celebrate Christmas with their pension paid.

SOURCE: THE SUN

Bianca Taunts Obiano Over Absence At Ojukwu Memorial Lecture

Bianca Ojukwu

BY THE NEWS AGENCY, NOV. 4, 2019

AWKA, ANAMBRA STATE (THE CABLE) -- Bianca, widow of Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, has expressed dissatisfaction with the absence of Willie Obiano, governor of Anambra state, at the second memorial lecture of her late husband.

Speaking at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) Igbariam, Anambra, on Monday, Bianca told Nkem Okeke, deputy governor of the state, who represented Obiano at the event, that there was no evil spirit at the venue.

She was taunting the governor over his recent comment that there were evil spirits at government house, Awka, Anambra.

Bianca, who spoke shortly after Kingsley Muoghalu, a former deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said Obiano was one of the greatest beneficiaries of Ojukwu’s legacy.

“Tell Obiano that there is no evil spirit in the venue of Ojukwu memorial lecture. This is the second time the event is holding and Obiano doesn’t want to attend by himself,” Bianca said.

She called on the governor not to erode the legacy of her late husband especially regarding All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

“Lastly, tell him that he is gratuitously handing over the credentials for history to call him an ingrate, who step on fingers of all the benefactors that held the ladder for him to climb to political power,” she said.

She thanked Peter Obi, a former governor of the state, for renaming the university after Ojukwu whom she described as a hero in life and death.

Okeke attributed Obiano’s absence to “other official engagement”.

“It is unfortunate that Obiano has not attended the memorial lecture since it started last year, but that is not to say that he will not attend. The governor still has time in office and could still attend in future,” he said.

Moghalu, whose lecture was titled: “Ndigbo in the contemporary Nigerian politics, problems, prospects and way forward”, said the Igbo people must be given equal treatment like other ethnic groups.

He said the effect of the Nigeria/Biafra civil war is still holding the the nation backward.

“I suggest that key actors during the war like retired Gen. Yakubu Gowon should speak to heal the wounds to ensure lasting peace,” he said.

Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy senate president, who chaired the event called for restructuring of the country and introduction of state police.

He said restructuring and de-centralisation of the police were key to addressing the mirage of problems plaguing the nation.

Expert Outlines Strategies To Attract Global Institutional Investors

Nicky Okoye. Image: Twitter

BY CHINWENDU OBIENYI

AWKA, ANAMBRA STATE (SUN NEWS) -- The Founder and Chief Strategist, Nicky Okoye Organisation(NOO), Dr. Nicky Okoye, has outlined six strategies that can reposition and usher in monumental wealth and prosperity for Nigerian and African businesses over a short term period.

Okoye spoke at the Global Capital Strategy Session hosted by NOO in Awka, Anambra State, which was attended by over 600 entrepreneurs Nigeria and Ghana.

According to him, the strategies, which were developed by his team, if adopted by entrepreneurs, will receive favorable attention from global capital institutional investors.

He talked about the China Strategy, which he said Nigerian and African entrepreneurs could use to gain from over 85 million jobs that will be leaving China for new manufacturing bases over the next five years, as China joins the high income countries.

Okoye spoke about having a Digital Strategy in which over 10 million African businesses need to adopt a new digital profile and reposition using cutting edge technologies of virtual reality, artificial intelligence, nano technology and robotics.

Other strategies he outlined, included an Agricultural Strategy which will convert strategic sites in Nigeria into a global base for processing and export of processed agricultural products, especially citing industrial processing estates for cassava, cashew, cocoa, sorghum, sesame seed and palm products, all agricultural products that Nigeria leads as top three or top ten in global production today.

The NOO boss also mentioned a Local Content Strategy which has achieved success in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, saying it needed to be extended beyond hydrocarbons.

This is an Africa Content Strategy which would allow entrepreneurs and businesses to build capacity on the back of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area agreement currently being established and there is also the Diaspora Strategy which gives entrepreneurs and businesses the possibility to start looking at the $270 billion in annual earnings of the Nigerians in Diaspora population as a market into on itself,” he said.

Okoye , who worked with Merrill Lynch, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Transcorp and NITEL, advised entrepreneurs to adopt a new approach to raising capital and investment which he termed a Global Capital Strategy.

“Entrepreneurs should follow already designed and researched laid down procedure for achieving an investment grade business structure which includes a business excellence matrix, a determined value proposition and a business strategy framework which all together form the basis for a successful global capital strategy and subsequent investment in your business,” he said.

Anambra State Stakeholders Divided Over Mode Of Selecting Obiano’s Successor

Governor Willie Obiano. Image: Twitter

BY LEO SOBECHI, OSIBEROHA OSIBE

Ahead of the 2021 gubernatorial election in Anambra State, stakeholders in the state are divided along growing calls for the merit-based selection process and need to sustain the zoning principle enunciated by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in 2013.

It would be recalled that at the twilight of his second and final term in office as governor, Mr. Peter Obi reflected on the political dynamics of the state and concluded that it would make for fairness if a candidate from Anambra North Senatorial District succeeded him.

Although major stakeholders in the state tackled the then governor for introducing what they called ‘alien leadership selection culture’ into the state, Obi remained resolute and mobilized the entire Anambra North or Omambala belt, for the 2013 governorship.

Assisted by the power of incumbency and the fact that APGA had entrenched itself within the eight years Governor Obi held sway, as well as the federal might from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Willie Obiano was returned as the winner.

Nonetheless, despite the sloganeering and catchphrase of zoning, which APGA canvassed relentlessly, most stakeholders in the state declared that at no point time did anybody sit down to institute zoning, arguing that Anambra State has remained as the beacon of light for excellence.

Eight years after the introduction of zoning by APGA, there have been calls for a paradigm shift in the leadership selection process, with a greater consensus on the need for meritocracy against quota or allocation.

To compound matters, even the Grand Commander of zoning, Obi, has shifted his political base to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on which platform he contested the 2019 Presidential election as the running mate of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the standard-bearer.

The argument against zoning seems to be gaining in decibels as most of the citizens look at the past five years, especially the way the beneficiary of the zoning has fared to dismiss it as bolstering mediocrity.

Furthermore, it has been noted that whether during the 2013 or 2017 gubernatorial polls, virtually all Senatorial Districts in the state took part in the election, thereby making nonsense of zoning.

However, protagonists of retention of zoning argue that it would not be right for Ndigbo to be agitating for the zoning of the 2023 Presidency to Southeast, while an important state in Igbo land would be moving against the same principle.

But those voices have been shut down with the exposition that no section of Anambra State has suffered similar marginalization as Igbo in Nigeria.

According to the opponents of zoning, both Anambra Central and Anambra South have produced governor prior to the emergence of the incumbent, Obiano, including Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Chinwoke Mbadinuju, Dame Virgy Etiaba, Senator Andy Uba, Dr. Chris Ngige and Mr. Peter Obi.

Recently, a prominent stakeholder, Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, who endowed a research chair at UNZIK Business School in Awka for Onitsha Market, contended that what is lacking in the state is intellectual support for business and leadership.

Dr. Okonkwo blamed the uninspiring leadership in the state to the culture of paternalism, stressing that a governor that has not been able to take his state to the highest level according to global standards has nothing to celebrate.

Insisting that the next governor of Anambra State should be an individual that is fired by his or her personal imagination and ideas, Okonkwo stated: “I have seen things happen in other parts of the world. I have seen transformation orchestrated by some individuals as a result of a change in leadership.

“I am saying this as somebody who is exposed and an economist who understands economic indices and as a political scientist who understands political dynamics and knows what is happening around the world. So, my yardstick is looking at the world around me.”

He lamented that “Competence, credibility has been brought entirely to the least of criteria for choosing leaders,” stressing that instead of resigning to fate, citizens should exploit constitutional provision to remove those enthroned by default.

Dismissing zoning, the Russia-Trained Political Scientist said only selfish politicians in Anambra State would still be canvassing for zoning for the position of governor, “especially with the state of fatal paralysis we now have.”

“The danger of zoning,” he argued, “is that very soon we start zoning to religious denominations, hamlets, and clans; Anglican Bishops are also canvassing for zoning. They want the governorship zoned to Anglicans.”

But despite the groundswell of opposition to zoning, a group is known as Great Anambra Forum (GAFORUM), said they are in support of powershift to Anambra South Senatorial District in 2021.

The group disclosed that it was mobilizing select politicians and opinion leaders from the three senatorial districts to sensitize them on the imperative of rotational arrangement ahead of the 2021 gubernatorial poll.

According to the convener, Fab Ozoigbo, who spoke to journalists in Awka at the end of its tour, GAFORUM is urging all political parties wishing to participate in the governorship election to ensure that their standard-bearers are selected from Anambra South Senatorial District.

Ozoigbo noted that although all the three senatorial zones have competent governorship materials that can deliver democracy dividends to the masses, there has always been divine intervention in the emergence of past and future governors of the state.

While denying that the group was being sponsored by yet-to-be-identified governorship hopeful in the state, Ozoigbo charging stakeholders from Anambra South Senatorial District to put forward a grade ‘A’ candidate with proven integrity, character, performance, competence, and education to do the job.

His words: “We need a home-grown person as governor, who sees the entire state as his constituency. Anambra North would not have produced a governor in a long time to come if advocacy and principled enforcement were not made to ensure a candidate from the zone emerged.”

Ozoigbo condemned the attitude of some politicians and beneficiaries who, according to him, are keen to dump the arrangement on the ground that each of the three affected zones has served a period of eight years of two terms.

Also speaking, a former Commissioner for Information in the state, Joe Oforkansi, went down memory lane, recalling how power rotation started from Anambra South zone.

Oforkansi said the governorship seat was in Anambra South for almost six years before it shifted to Anambra Central zone to serve for a period of almost eight years, before it moved to Anambra North zone, arguing that a fresh rotation ought to start with Anambra South zone once more.

He remarked that much squabbling over which zone should govern the state after Obiano’s tenure on March 16, 2022, informed the move by GAFORUM to embark on the outreach to educate different zones on the need to allow a candidate from Anambra South zone to succeed Obiano.

The group appealed to Ndi Anambra, particularly major stakeholders in the state, including the political class, religious leaders, community cum opinion molders, business community, former as well as serving elected officials among others for support.

A former House of Representatives member for Onitsha North and South Federal constituency and former Onitsha South Council Chairman, Ezeobi Okpala; former Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Keluo Molokwu; former Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Peter Onuorrah; one-time Oyi Council Chairman, Osy Ilozue; and former member of state House of Assembly, Ossy Chinwuba, among others said power shift is in the interest of equity, justice, and fair play.

The stakeholders recalled that former governor Peter Obi from Anambra Central zone respected the rotational principle mooted by GAFORUM and Hon. Ezeobi Okpala-led G-99 and ensured that Anambra North zone produced his successor, appealing to governor Obiano from Anambra North zone to appreciate the move of GAFORUM by ensuring that a candidate from Anambra South succeeds him.

They revealed that some politicians and money bags in the state wooed Anambra South zone at the time the North was clamoring for Obiano to complete his second term in office.

While appreciating the stance of the majority of politicians and citizens from Anambra South zone, who objected and worked for the Anambra North zone to complete its second term in office, the stakeholders mandated them to select ten politicians and opinion leaders to take the campaign to the grassroots.

They are also expected to drum support for the movement, saying it is aimed at checking wasteful spending through campaign funds, urging the people of Anambra South Senatorial District to do their homework well and pick a credible candidate to deliver the goods to the entire state.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN NIGERIA

UNIZIK Suspends Embattled Lecturer, Orders Verification Of Staff Certificates

Image via Punch

BY SAMSON FOLARIN

AWKA, ANAMBRA (PUNCH) -- The Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, has suspended embattled senior lecturer, Peter Ekemezie, over allegations of certificate forgery, plagiarism, among others.

The PUNCH learnt that the decision was taken at the end of the 117th general meeting of the varsity’s governing council.

The council, while ordering Ekemezie to hand over all the school property in his possession to his head of department, banned him from visiting the campus.

In addition, the certificates of all workers of the institution were to be verified, beginning with the academic staff.

This was after weeks of reporting by The PUNCH on the senior lecturer, who had been allegedly covered up by some powerful forces in the school for years.

He was to be promoted from the position of a senior lecturer to a Reader (associate professor) despite the allegations against him when our correspondent began reporting the case.

Ekemezie was employed by UNIZIK in July 2010, but his employment immediately generated controversies because he was allegedly employed as Lecturer 1 Level 11, instead of Lecturer 2, Level 9.

Sometime in 2013, one Mrs Egolum claimed that the 46-year-old collected money from her to help her process a special degree programme at the University of Port Harcourt.

Investigation into the allegation by a senior staff committee set up by the management of UNIZIK led to the discovery that Ekemezie himself was allegedly parading a forged BSc certificate.

The committee’s recommendation to the management was reportedly swept under the carpet.


A few years after, some lecturers accused Ekemezie of using plagiarised works to gain promotion and special favours from the institution, an allegation confirmed by another committee set up by the school.

Like the BSc certificate, the recommendations were also allegedly ignored.

Ekemezie himself wrote a petition to the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, accusing some lecturers of fighting against his promotion and planting incriminating documents in his curriculum vitae to implicate him.

The police investigated and discovered that he lied. He was subsequently charged with giving false information and certificate forgery.

Still, the university did not act.

The Chairman of the Governing Council, UNIZIK, Azeez Bello, while promising that the council would act on the matter, said some members of the institution’s senate might have been compromised.

Ekemezie’s claim to being an external examiner at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, and University of Benin were denied by the authorities of those schools.

The Anambra State indigene later concocted lies against our correspondent and filed a suit before a Magistrates’ Court. The matter was struck out.

Further investigation into the academic records of the lecturer showed that he allegedly did not also meet the minimum number of years for his postgraduate diploma, master’s degree and Doctor of Philosophy.

The Dean of the UNIZIK School of Postgraduate, Prof. Philomena Igbokwe, while reacting to enquiries from our correspondent, said the lecturer completed his PhD in just 14 months, instead of 36 months.

“According to extant regulation, the timing is not in line with (the) approved duration,” she had said.

The revelation opened floodgates of criticism of the school’s system by some academics and online readers of The PUNCH.

Our correspondent learnt that the university governing council met last Wednesday and Thursday and deliberated on the various issues.

A release by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Dr Emmanuel Ojukwu, titled, ‘Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Interdicts Dr Peter Ekemezie,’ stated that the matter had been on for some time.

“The governing council at its 117th general meeting held on Wednesday, June 26, 2019, considered the report of the appeals and petitions committee on the petitions against his person titled, ‘Fraudulent Claim of Patent by Dr Peter Ekemezie and other irregularities in his current appraisal.’ Council noted that the matter, which had lingered for more than five years, was a criminal case, pending before the court of law. It, therefore, resolved to suspend deliberations on it.

“Guided by the provisions of Section 13.1.5 of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Senior Staff Conditions of Service, the Governing Council decided to interdict Dr Peter Ekemezie from his duties in the university with effect from Wednesday, June 26, 2019.

“Council, thereafter, directed as follows: He shall be entitled to receive one-half of his salary; he is required to hand over all the university property in his possession to his head of department and he is forbidden from carrying out his duties or visiting the university except with the express permission of the vice-chancellor,” the statement said.

A source privy to the resolutions at the meeting told our correspondent that there was an instruction for the verification of staff certificates.

The source explained that it was to restore sanity to the system.

“The council was very angry that this case lingered this long. The new vice-chancellor is a pastor with the Deeper Life Bible Church and he is strict and firm. He said even if his own sister committed an offence worthy of sacking, he would do it,” the top varsity source said.

Speaking with our correspondent on Monday, the varsity spokesman, Ojukwu, confirmed the verification of the certificates, adding that it would begin with the academic staff.

He said the new management of the varsity, led by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Charles Esimone, was determined to redeem the school image.

“This council is determined to do the right thing to correct all the anomalies. The society should learn from the university. So, the VC wants to restore the quintessential university culture and this has started,” he added.

The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, UNIZIK chapter, Dr Steven Ufoaroh, said the verification of staff certificates would expose more workers with fraudulent claims.

He said, “The university council members and the VC are living up to expectation because the issue of discipline ends at their doorstep. If this had been done earlier, all the attacks on the school image would have been unnecessary. I believe with this, all similar cases may be exhumed and people will sit tight and know their proper placement based on their academic qualifications.”

A former Head of Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, Prof. John Nduka, lamented the poor appraisal system which ensured the promotion of Ekemezie without verification of his academic claims.

He blamed the former vice-chancellor, Joseph Ahaneku, for the rot in the system, adding that several letters he wrote to him calling attention to the problems were ignored.

Nduka said, “If Ekemezie started work in 2010 with an alleged forged BSc certificate and somebody is just talking about it today, after he had gained promotion, what do we say about that?

“The issue of forged certificate had been known in the institution before the former VC promoted him to become a senior lecturer. The records are there. The committee report was dated January 23, 2015. That is over four years already. Does it take donkey’s years to handle such matters?

“The university law is that when you have a case, a university committee is set up to do preliminary investigation and if a prima facie case is established, the management places such a person on suspension. Then the VC refers the matter to the senior staff committee within a minimum of three months and maximum of six months and after that, the senior staff committee submits its report to the VC, which he will then send to the council. The council only ratifies the decision of the committee. It does not take more than six months. Maybe the new VC has woken up.”

The Director of General Studies, UNIZIK, Rev. Fr. Obi Oguejiofor, described as “shameful” the silence of the former administration over the matter.

The professor of philosophy explained that ASUU held a congress on Monday over the latest revelation that Ekemezie had his PhD in 14 months, adding that the union chairman was mandated to take up the matter with the VC.

He said the news of Ekemezie’s suspension and certificates verification were good for the school’s reputation.

“I spoke to the former VC, but he did not act. This matter is a big shame to whoever is connected to UNIZIK. I told the former VC to his face. But he left him to operate for years. I fail to understand a situation where someone with all the allegations against Ekemezie would be left to roam round for that long; it is not tolerable” he added.

A senior lecturer in the school, Dr Chigozie Anarado, said the decision was long overdue.

He noted that the varsity authorities must review how its standards sunk to the present level and make radical changes.

Anarado said, “It is a mixed feeling for me because I believe this ought to have been done a long while ago. But it is better late than never because at the end of the day, posterity will judge us.

“But we must go beyond that. We need to unravel how we got to this point ab initio. It is good that verification of certificates is done because there could be more fraudulent academics lurking around the corner. I am sure it is not only in UNIZIK you have this kind of thing. When you see something like this, you can be sure it is a representation of what is happening in other varsities. But it is important that we begin to clean up so that we can ultimately make the society a better place.”