Headline

Unical management has no vested interest in Dean’s suspension – Vice Chancellor

Published

9 months ago

August 22, 2023

Prof. Florence Obi, Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Calabar, (Unical), has disclosed that the management of the institution had no vested interest in the suspension of Prof. Cyril Ndifon, former Dean of the Faculty of Law.
Obi made this known in a press briefing on Monday in Calabar, following allegations that some senior members of staff of the institution wanted the professor out.

It would be recalled that Ndifon was on Aug. 17 suspended by the institution after he responded to a query given to him by the school management.

The query followed allegations of high handedness, improper behaviour towards female students, extortion, and unequal treatment among others.

The VC said, following the response to the query from the former Dean over the allegations leveled against him by staff and students of the faculty of law, they were left with no other option other than to set up an investigative panel.

She said the panel, which followed the public service rules, would involve some staff of the faculty, the institution’s alumni, Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, (FCCPC), and police among others.

“On Thursday Aug. 10, some law students led by their president came to my office to see me on some alleged improprieties going-on in their faculty and dropped a formal petition.

“Based on the issues that were raised by the students, the management decided to meet with senior academics in the faculty and while we were having the said meeting on Aug. 14, we were informed that some students were protesting.

“We granted the students audience and they raised issues that bordered on accountability, abuse of office, extortion, sexual harassment and many others”, she said, alleging that sexual harassment gained more prominence in the public space.

She assured the students that the allegations would be looked into but the meeting with the senior staff of the faculty that continued later, revealed many other allegations not touched by the protesting students.

According to her, the management resolved with the staff of the faculty of law on the need for some basic changes to be effected in the faculty to prevent what they termed as the overbearing influence of the Dean in the faculty.

“Some of the immediate decisions we took was setting up a committee on student mobilisation to law school because the students had alleged that the Dean was being selective and using female students as bait.

“We also mandated the committee to look at the list of law school students that had been sent by the former Dean and if need be, the list will be recalled.

“While we removed two examination officers from the faculty and set-up a vetting committee following allegations of result manipulations, we also set up a student project committee that will be assigning projects and grading.

“This follows allegations that the former Dean was in the habit of selecting only female students as his supervisees thereby making them vulnerable,” he said.

She maintained that the management had ordered a compilation and submission of list of students extorted by the faculty, to be refunded following allegations of extortion of students in the faculty, among other weighty allegations.

While adding that the management would not fold its hands and accept ugly scenerios in the institution, both the students and staff who had alleged and the accused former Dean would be given the opportunity to defend themselves before the panel.

Headline

EFCC bars dollar transactions, orders embassies to charge in naira

Published

6 days ago

May 11, 2024

Desmond Ukafor

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has barred foreign missions based in Nigeria from transacting in foreign currencies and mandated them to use Naira in their financial businesses.

The EFCC has also mandated Nigerian foreign missions domiciled abroad to accept Naira in their financial businesses.

The anti-graft agency said the move is to tackle the dollarisation of the Nigerian economy and the degradation of the naira

The Commission, therefore, asked the government to stop foreign missions in Nigeria from charging visa and other consular services in foreign denominations.

The EFCC gave the advisory in a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, for onward transmission to all foreign missions in the country.

In the letter, the EFCC said it issued the advisory because the practice of paying for consular services in dollars was in conflict with extant laws and financial regulations in Nigeria.

In a letter dated April 5, 2024, which was addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, titled: “EFCC Advisory to Foreign Missions against Invoicing in US Dollar,” the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede expressed dismay over the invoicing of consular services in Nigeria by foreign missions in dollars.

The EFCC cited Section 20(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, which makes currencies issued by the apex bank the only legal tender in Nigeria.

The letter read, “I present to you the compliments of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and wish to notify you about the commission’s observation, with dismay, regarding the unhealthy practice by some foreign missions to invoice consular services to Nigerians and other foreign nationals in the country in United States dollar ($).

“It states that ‘the currency notes issued by the Bank shall be the legal tender in Nigeria on their face value for the payment of any amount’.

“This presupposes that any transaction in currencies other than the naira anywhere in Nigeria contravenes the law and is, therefore, illegal.”

The commission further stated that the rejection of the naira for consular services in Nigeria by certain missions, along with non-compliance with foreign exchange regulations in determining service costs, is not just unlawful but also undermines the nation’s sovereignty embodied in its official currency.

The letter continues: “This trend can no longer be tolerated, especially in a volatile economic environment where the country’s macroeconomic policies are constantly under attack by all manner of state and non-state actors.

“In light of the above, you may wish to convey the commission’s displeasure to all missions in Nigeria and restate Nigeria’s desire for their operations not to conflict with extant laws and regulations in the country.”

Diplomatic sources said yesterday, May 10, that some embassies were wondering whether the EFCC’s advisory represented the position of the Federal Government.

Headline

Prince Harry visits sick Nigerian soldiers in Kaduna

Published

6 days ago

May 11, 2024

Alero Danjuma

Prince Harry and his team visited the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna to interact with wounded soldiers who are receiving treatment.

The Duke of Sussex is in Nigeria with his wife to champion the Invictus Games, which Harry founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans.

Nigeria joined the Invictus Community of Nations in 2022 becoming the first African country to join.

Prince Harry’s visit to Kaduna came 68 years after his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II visited the state during the time of the late Premier of Northern Region Sir Ahmadu Bello.