A Nigerian college infamous for abusing energy and silencing dissenting voices has surprisingly pledged to “stand by the reality” and “maintain freedom.”
Nyaudoh Ndaeyo, a professor and vice-chancellor of the University of Uyo (UniUyo), made the pledge on 9 September on the college’s everlasting campus in Uyo throughout a public lecture and a ebook presentation to commemorate the seventy fifth birthday of Desmond Wilson, a rights activist and famend professor of mass communication.
For many years, UniUyo has unlawfully sacked or suspended lecturers who demanded accountability or spoke up towards alleged corruption and maladministration within the 33-year-old federal establishment.
Probably the most outstanding case is that of Inih Ebong, an affiliate professor of theatre arts who was unjustly sacked in 2002 for persistently criticising the college’s authorities. After sacking him, the college revealed a disclaimer on him in a nationwide every day to scare off different potential employers.
Since then, 5 successive vice-chancellors, together with the present one, Mr Ndaeyo, refused to reinstate and pay Mr Ebong his gathered salaries and different entitlements regardless of a string of courtroom victories, together with final December’s Court docket of Attraction judgement, which finalised litigation over the unlawful termination of his appointment.
For over 20 years, Mr Ebong had been combating not just for justice however for survival – he was broke and couldn’t feed himself and his household and was recognized with cardiac failure.
Nigerians, together with the billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, got here to his rescue after PREMIUM TIMES broke the information about Mr Ebong’s deteriorating well being.
Sadly, Mr Ebong died on 16 April 2025 on the College of Uyo Instructing Hospital, Uyo, six months after PREMIUM TIMES revealed an investigative report on how UniUyo ruined his profession and life with false accusations of sexual harassment.
A federal choose as soon as described UniUyo as “a spot the place the reality will all the time be punished senselessly.”
‘We’ll maintain freedom’
On the birthday occasion, Mr Ndaeyo, UniUyo vice-chancellor, praised Mr Wilson’s a long time of involvement within the wrestle towards navy rule and his marketing campaign for human rights, describing the retired professor as a brave activist and an important trainer.
“We should always not mistake his requires accountability as being a hardliner as a result of accountability is the one factor that may encourage sustainable growth,” mentioned Mr Ndaeyo, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Aniekan Offiong.
Mr Ndaeyo mentioned the brave anti-military rule marketing campaign by Mr Wilson and others led to democracy and freedom for Nigerians. “We’ll attempt to maintain our freedom it doesn’t matter what it would value,” he mentioned.
“Professor Desmond Wilson, we honour you as an important trainer. You’re a professor of professors. You’re a school builder, you’re a function mannequin to us.
“Professor Desmond Wilson is a person of integrity. He doesn’t thoughts if he’s a lone voice, supplied he says the reality. He doesn’t care who’s in authorities; he stands by the reality.
“Professor Desmond Wilson, your labour shall by no means be in useless. As a college, we are going to attempt to honour your beliefs. We’ll by no means allow you to down.
“We promise to maintain the flag flying – the flag of standing by the reality and ensuring that the society is healthier.”
Vice-chancellor’s pledge contrasts with inhumane remedy of Ebong
The UniUyo vice-chancellor’s pledge for fact and freedom contrasts together with his administration’s illegal and inhumane remedy of the victimised lecturer, Mr Ebong.
Weighed down by hardship, sickness, and emotional trauma, Mr Ebong, in a 16 January 2021 letter to Mr Ndaeyo, chronicled his travails and knowledgeable the vice-chancellor that he was open to a peaceable decision of the matter.
“In the present day, I’m nearly bedridden at house whereas I await the inevitable to occur! Might it not be mentioned that the College was awaiting to resolve this matter posthumously.
“I’m, due to this fact, interesting to you to deliver my uncertainty and distress to an finish by complying with the judgement and order of the Nationwide Industrial Court docket,” Mr Ebong mentioned within the letter to Mr Ndaeyo.
The vice-chancellor, by then-Registrar of UniUyo Aniediabasi Udofia, replied to Mr Ebong’s letter on 12 March 2021. He advised the lecturer that the college was dissatisfied with the judgement of the Nationwide Industrial Court docket of Nigeria and had, due to this fact, appealed towards it.
“It’s advisable for events to await the choice of the courtroom (of enchantment),” he mentioned.
The Court docket of Attraction, Calabar, final December, dismissed an enchantment filed by UniUyo for a keep of the execution of a 2020 judgement of the Nationwide Industrial Court docket of Nigeria, which ordered the college to reinstate Mr Ebong and pay him all his entitlements and damages.
The identical Court docket of Attraction had beforehand dismissed two different appeals filed by UniUyo.
On 17 January, Mr Ebong, by his lawyer, Nse Williams, forwarded a duplicate of the Court docket of Attraction judgement to Mr Ndaeyo and demanded that the college adjust to the commercial courtroom judgement.
Mr Ebong reminded Mr Ndaeyo of his (the vice-chancellor’s) earlier phrases that “events ought to await the choice of the courtroom (of enchantment)” when he (Ebong) requested a peaceable settlement.
“As the person of honour that you’re, we demand that you simply make good and provides impact to your above-quoted phrase of honour,” Mr Ebong advised the vice-chancellor within the 17 January letter.
UniUyo has but to obey the courtroom judgement ordering it to reinstate the lecturer and pay his gathered wage and different entitlements, which quantity to hundreds of thousands of naira.
Mr Wilson, the retired professor whose birthday celebration the vice-chancellor pledged fact and freedom, is among the many few pals of Mr Ebong who did their finest to assist the victimised lecturer when he was alive.
“They (UniUyo authorities) know that they might by no means win, however simply to delay him with the hope that he would die within the course of,” Mr Wilson advised PREMIUM TIMES in 2020 (Mr Ndaeyo was not the vice-chancellor then).
In line with the household, the funeral service for the late Mr Ebong will happen on Friday, 10 October at 12 p.m. on the Aton Lodge, Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, KM 7, Abak Street, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
PREMIUM TIMES couldn’t instantly communicate with UniUyo for its remark for this report because the recognized cellphone variety of its spokesperson was switched off on the time of submitting the report.
