RE: THE EXPULSION OF 544 ESUT STUDENTS - A CALL FOR A PUBLIC ENQUIRY

Campaign to Save ESUT

Enugu State University of Science and

Technology,

Enugu.

10 April, 2012.

His Excellency,

The Governor of Enugu State,

Enugu.

His Excellency,

RE: THE EXPULSION OF 544 ESUT STUDENTS – CALL FOR A PUBLIC ENQUIRY

On 28 February, 2012, we wrote a petition - Expulsion of 544 ESUT Students – A Breach of Due Process –addressed to His Excellency, The Governor of Enugu State bringing to his attention the sordid and insensitive actions of the ESUT authorities in expelling 544 of her students, (with 190 of them in their final years) over unsubstantiated and frivolous allegations that their admissions were illegal.

We highlighted in clear details how the processes and procedures embarked upon by ESUT authorities under the direction of Prof. C.O. Onyeji patently violated the Constitutional rights of the affected students, by denying them the opportunities to be heard and answer to the allegations of improper admission levelled against them. We presented how the ESUT Management under Prof C.O. Onyeji placed heavy obstacles on the way of the affected students in seeking redress by barring them from the school premises with the threat of their arrest should they be found in the school premises.

Sir, in spite of our petition, which was copied and sent to the Vice Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor in a fragrant show of callousness and insensitivity for the plights of the affected students and obvious disregard for our laws and the constitutional rights of the affected students, has done nothing to review the pathetic situation of the students. Rather, what he did was to send statements to the media to the effect that as vice chancellor, he had constituted a panel to investigate the expulsion of 544 students of ESUT from that institution. The Vice Chancellor’s statement said nothing about the composition, terms of reference and duration of the panel’s work. This action came more than three months after the expulsion of the 544 students, three months after loud and open protestation from a wide cross section of stakeholders and the human rights community! The lag in time is an evidence of moronic gross insensitivity and disrespect for the opinions and sensibilities of others.

As we stated in our earlier petition, the expulsion of the 544 ESUT students by the Vice Chancellor was a grievous violation of due process of our laws, a blatant breach of the constitutional rights to fair hearing, a most insensitive and callous act of the Vice Chancellor, and the height of extreme wickedness. This is especially so since the students don’t have any iota of blame in the entire admission saga.

Did the students admit themselves? Did the students give themselves registration/matriculation numbers? Is it the students’ responsibilities to find out which is fake ESUT website that has been existing for over 5 years? How did the authorities of ESUT keep on accepting their school fees? How were they continually examined and assessed thereafter by the system?

It is unfortunate that the Vice Chancellor, Prof C.O. Onyeji would constitute this panel several months after his wicked and insensitive action of expulsion of the 544 students, despite their strong and loud protestations and deafening cry from other stakeholders and the human rights community. It is more regrettable that a panel of this nature would be constituted without the Vice Chancellor comprehensively stating the composition of the panel and their contacts, so that those with memoranda could forward them to the panel.

This error is grievous that the affected students could challenge this wicked expulsion in court and claim and obtain damages in billion of Naira capable of sending ESUT to liquidation.

But how can the Vice Chancellor think that setting up a panel is a panacea to his reckless action. This reveals conspicuously that there were no proper investigations before expelling the students.

Sir, as a lawyer, a principal officer of the Enugu State Bar Association and former Attorney General of Enugu State, you are aware that the reason for the court’s exparte orders – to restore status quo ante – is to prevent a grievous and irreparable disadvantage of a weak party. How can these 544 students who are obviously the much weaker party and the bearers of the pains and disadvantage of this obnoxious act be brought to status quo ante before this thoughtless act of Prof. C.O. Onyeji?

The panel set up by the Vice Chancellor will achieve nothing because they are incapable of indicting ESUT Management or even any of the officer of ESUT Management especially when the reckless acts of Prof C.O. Onyeji is glaring. One cannot be a judge in his own cause! Prof Onyeji cannot now preside over a mess that he caused.

In civilised climes, any Vice Chancellor that commits this grievous error even at the prompting or prodding of his subordinate officers like the Deputy Vice Chancellor and the Registrar, that vice chancellor should be shown the way out since he is incapable of showing leadership, and has committed a grievous error capable of liquidating the institution.

Our investigations reveal that top level management staff of ESUT, particularly the Registrar, are involved in this issue of illegal admission. Due to the involvement of the Registrar in the entire saga, the university cannot competently handle the investigations into the illegal admission saga!

In order to expose and bring to book all the top level management staff and other senior academic staff who are involved, this investigation needs to be conducted by His Excellency, the Governor, in his capacity as the Visitor.

This investigation if done under the direction of His Excellency, will clearly show the extent of the rot and decay in ESUT at the highest levels of management and afford the Visitor a further opportunity to cleanse ESUT.

Finally, we must state that Prof C.O. Onyeji is an undisputed example of one that kills a fly with a sledge hammer. We have written to him severally on issues bordering mind boggling cases of corruption, scams, illegal and abusive use of powers, intimidation of staff and students, sexual harassment of female staff and students with facts and figures including bank account details but he has done absolutely nothing; nothing, in those cases.

Reliefs Sought

1.Prof C.O. Onyeji, Vice Chancellor of ESUT, should immediately be relieved of his appointment as Vice Chancellor having shown gross disrespect for constitutional rights of Nigerian citizens to fair hearing in expelling 544 students of ESUT who are at various years of studies.
2. Prof C.O. Onyeji, should be removed from office as Vice Chancellor, having shown gross insensitivity to the plights of students in disregarding their protest and appeals, and in disregarding the protest and appeals of a wide cross –section of stakeholders and the human rights community.
3. Prof C.O. Onyeji, should be removed from office as Vice Chancellor, for show of gross incompetence in handling the expulsion of the 544 students of ESUT without prior investigation.
4. The 544 students of ESUT should immediately be recalled from expulsion and given every facility to enable them write their examination and complete their courses of studies in line with their admission letters.
5. A public enquiry which should be transparently and openly done should be constituted to investigate all those who are responsible for admission scams.

cc

Hon. Commissioner for Education, Enugu State
Pro Chancellor ESUT

Vice Chancellor ESUT
Deputy Vice Chancellor ESUT

Registrar, ESUT

ASUU, ESUT

SSANU, ESUT

NASU, ESUT

Student Union, ESUT

Ohaneze Ndigbo

The Clergy:

His Lordship, Bishop E.O. Chukwuma

His Lordship, Bishop C.V.C. Onaga

Msgr Obiora Ike

ESUT Governing Council

University Community

The General Public