A Nigerian lawyer, Inibehe Effiong has called on good spirited
Nigerians to come to the aid of an associate professor, Inih Ebong who
was sacked from the University of Calabar for criticizing the then Vice
Chancellor of the school, Prof. Akpan Morgan Ekpo since 2002.
Effiong said Ebong has been under severe hardship since he was sacked and is terribly sick.
He took to Twitter and wrote:
Today, I visited Inih Ebong, an associate professor of theatre
art at his residence in Uyo. I was almost moved to tears over the
hardship and injustice that this patriotic intellectual has gone through
for the past 18 years. He is terribly sick and can barely speak. It is
tragic.
In 2002, the then dictatorial Vice Chancellor of University of
Uyo, Prof. Akpan Morgan Ekpo, sacked Dr. Inih Ebong because he could no
longer tolerate his persistent criticisms and activism. Dr. Inih Ebong
was a thorn in the flesh of the university management. He was fearless.
He never compromised on his principles. For this, he was
despised by an oppressive system that did not allow activism or unionism
by students and lecturers. The same Prof. Ekpo also expelled Hon.
Onofiok Luke who was the SUG President and also sacked the ASUU Chairman
Edet Akpan.
Dr. Edet Akpan is an associate professor of mathematics. Like
Dr. Ebong, he was sacked in 2004 for criticising the same Akpan Ekpo.
The court ordered his reinstatement about two years ago. Dr. Ebong once
refused a request by a VC to allow an unqualified student to write
exams.
After a prolonged battle in court, the National Industrial
Court in Uyo in January 2020 delivered judgment in favour of Dr. Ebong
and ordered the University of Uyo to reinstate and pay him his
outstanding salaries and allowances. This judgment came 18 years after
he was sacked.
The court gave UNIUYO 30 days to comply but they decided to
appeal the judgment at the Court of Appeal. This is happening under the
leadership of Enefiok Essien, a professor of law and Senior Advocate of
Nigeria - the current Vice Chancellor whose tenure will end in December.
Meanwhile, Dr. Inih Ebong is 69 years old and will clock
retirement age next year. He can barely feed his family. I should
mention that in addition to the sack, the University published a
vindictive Disclaimer in national newspapers and asked the public not to
associate with him.
The disclaimer made the life of Dr. Inih Ebong more miserable.
He lost a good job offer by the University of Melbourne in Australia
because of the wicked disclaimer. This man never stole a Kobo from the
University of Uyo but they advertised him as a criminal. Such
wickedness!
Dr. Ebong was the Head of Department of Theatre Art in the
university. As a lecturer, he produced professors and prominent
personalities. Dr. @abati1990 is one of his former students. Prof.
Effiong Johnson is another of his former students. He was a voice of
conscience on campus.
Three of his children were also frustrated out of the
University of Uyo. He has pass through hell. This is a man that was
trained in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Michigan State University,
U.S.A. and University of Birmingham, U.K. He returned to Nigeria to
help his country.
His doctor, a consultant cardiologist, told him that he has 20 percent chance of survival.
Dr. Ebong cannot afford his medical bills. He already has
outstanding bills. You can see from the photos that I took with him
today that he is surviving by sheer luck.
HE NEEDS OUR HELP.
Please help Dr. Ebong.
We cannot let him die in servitude. Let us prove to the world
that it pays to stand up for the truth. Kindly send him a donation as
follows:
Inih Ebong, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) - 0042760051.
You can reach his wife, Uduak on +2349046469446.
THANK YOU.
FUND RAISING FOR INIH EBONG; DYING ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR SACKED OVER ACTIVISM
— Inibehe Effiong (@InibeheEffiong) October 5, 2020
As we mark World Teachers' Day, I'm appealing to Nigerians to donate to the medical bills of Dr. Inih Ebong, an associate professor sacked in 2002 by University of Uyo due to his activism before he dies. pic.twitter.com/zuNXvnrLao
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