• Don’t dabble into politics, Nsukka professionals advise UNN VC
Enugu State Government has said that it has no hand in the ongoing certificate saga of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji.
It also urged the minister to concentrate on clearing his name before Nigerians and avoid blame-games that would not yield dividends.
The state government, in a statement issued in Enugu by the Director of Information in the Ministry of Information and Communication, Chukwuemeka Nebo, said that the government had no interest in the controversies surrounding the minister’s academic records.
“The Enugu State Government dissociates itself completely from these allegations. The minister must carry his own cross and clear his name before Nigerians, instead of dragging the government into issues that are entirely personal to him,” the statement stated.
Nebo recalled that Nnaji had invited journalists to a world media briefing scheduled for Monday at 2:00 p.m. to address the matter but failed to show up.
“A large number of Nigerian and international journalists reportedly gathered on the minister’s invitation to hear directly from him. But rather than appear before them to answer questions and establish his innocence, the minister absconded, leaving behind proxies who could not withstand the barrage of legitimate questions from journalists.
“Who can narrate Nnaji’s UNN story better than him? Why invite the media, only to outsource the conference? Why send third parties, who lack the answers to critical questions, if he truly has nothing to hide, the statement added.
Meanwhile, an association of concerned professionals from Nsukka, UmuNsukka, has advised the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, to shun partisan politics and focus on his job.
President of the group, Ozioko Asogwa, gave the advice while reacting to recent media reports linking the vice chancellor to the controversy surrounding the certificate forgery allegation levelled against Nnaji.
In a statement yesterday, Asogwa described Ortuanya’s appointment as the VC of UNN as an answer to decades of prayers by the good people of Nsukka, adding that it’s too early for him to be mired in any controversy, particularly the one that doesn’t really have any connection with him.
“That way, you will not give our enemies the opportunity to question your leadership acumen, which, for us, is not in doubt.
“For instance, if there is a court order for UNN to release the transcript of the minister and also the 1985 Convocation Brochure, why don’t you simply do that so that it doesn’t give any impression that you are being used as a tool to settle political scores?
“Don’t set a bad precedent for younger people from Nsukka aspiring to be VC of UNN someday, please. Avoid being used by anybody. Don’t dent your reputation and career. We are not sure when the next Nsukka person will be appointed VC of UNN,” Asogwa said.
He added that, as his kinsmen, members of the group were proud of his achievements.
