The Alliance for Defence, Democracy and Good Governance has revealed that the intrigues at the Father Adasu University, formerly Benue State University Makurdi could not allow the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Joe Iorapuu to execute his vision for the state owned The association also described as wasted opportunity, the inability of the State Government to back the Vice-Chancellor and ensure that the university continues with implementation of reforms brought to it with precision.

President of the association, Dr Wole Akinjide told journalists that in August 2023,in a letter, drew attention of the then Vice-Chancellor Professor Iorapuu about a visitation panel on fact finding mission through an unknown process to the university and requested the V-C resigns because of ill- intentions.

The letter reads: “Dear Professor Tor Iorapuu KSM,
You will recall that sometime in August 2023, at about 9:37 am, I called you. Quite typical, you picked the call. You were on your way to Makurdi from Jos. According to you, some developments arose that required your urgent return to Makurdi. And it was for the same developments that I made the call to you. I read that the government had set up a visitation panel after a failed mockery attempt of an unknown process in a university system called ‘Fact-Finding Committee.

“The purpose of my call was simple. I requested that you resign your appointment as the Vice Chancellor of Benue State University. I made this request for the following reasons:

From the inception of the new administration, the focus was on you and your university.

“The setting up of the fact-finding Committee that visited the University was ill-intended.

This was followed by the Visitation Panel.
I am sufficiently informed that other government agencies have sent teams to audit your activities.

I am also informed that even your Council has set up all manner of panels to investigate your activities including a forensic audit.

“Since the inception of this regime, there have been struggles to paint you black, to destroy you.

Who wants to contaminate you? Who hates your peace?
Who wants you to cease to be a human being, to become a puppet?”

“I knew you while at the University of Jos as an undergraduate and you were a model to many students regardless of their state of origin.

I was already a matured student when I went for my degree programme. So, my level of socialization was different.

Benue students and staff were proud of you. There was hardly any challenge brought to you by any student be it financial or academic that was not solved. You commanded the respect of all. You amazed us how you navigated the political dynamics in the university seamlessly.

I was more fascinated by how you were loved by the university administration. You made admission easy for our people.

Your progress in the University was impressive. Simply put, you inspired many.
You are one Benue Son that made his mark at national and international level before you accepted to come home to contribute your quota.

“In your mid 20s you were already employed in a Federal University.

In the early 90s you were a household name on National TV Soap Opera (Supple Blues) playing a major role. And so, you would have been a leading personality in the Movie industry in Nigeria today if you wanted.In the NGO world, you were a leading voice in this part of the country agitating for democracy, quality leadership and accountability.

I also know of your contributions to the development of Civil Society activities in Benue State. This dates to 1995.

I was opportune to listen to a conversation where an elderly states woman stated excitedly that in 1998, yourself and another Professor from Jos, facilitated a world bank funded training programme on Gender, at the then Benue Plaza Hotel, where herself and her late friend were participants.

Recently, I read on social media the impact of the activities of the NGO you founded.

It was gratifying to learn that some of the young people you mentored are working with or heading international agencies and local organizations. It was even more gratifying to learn how you raised over $1million dollar grants for the different projects across Nigeria including Benue State.

I was not surprised to learn that your NGO was the first to donate four truck loads of assorted grains at the Agan IDP Camp in 2019.

Until recently, you were a major voice on the persistent herder attacks in Plateau, Benue and other parts of Nigeria.

I recall someone lamenting lately that your current position has silenced and weakened your activism. But I think differently. I see you bouncing back even stronger with the additional experience you have gathered.

From this account it is obvious that you were bitten by a bug of awareness in the early stages of your life.

This is delightful! It is so evident! There is nothing so important in the world as awakening. It is also disciplined in its own way. It was the great Socrates that said, “the unaware life is not worth living.”

He continued, “Therefore, my letter to you is premised on the strength of the above short account. Nobody can deny or change the fact that before you chose to serve your state, you were clear headed and progressing with every aspect of your career.

“Then you ventured into politics, I became worried. You are too perfect a gentleman for the negative Benue politics and madness. Yes, you contested for Governor against Ortom. You shocked many when you decided to jump into politics and at that high level of contesting for the position of the State Chief Executive. Your politics was civil, and grassroots based. You came in with so much experience as an activist and a grassroot organizer and your messages touched the hearts of every group that you met. Your background as an activist prepared you indeed. Yes, you were unique with the quality of short campaign messages, billboards and posters. It was from your campaign approach that I first learned about “Benue Will Rise Again” and the concept of “People First.” But one fact that also exemplified you, was that throughout your campaign journey, interviews and engagements, no one heard you or accused you of making derogatory remarks on any other contestant.

Rather, you remained decent, clear headed and focused on the issues that motivated your decision to go into politics. This is not the kind of person and politics our people would like.

“I still have a copy of the video of your speech at the Aper Aku Stadium, where you stepped down for Ortom. And I can confirm and even mention names of those that openly confessed as you delivered your speech, that, “Maybe, this is the Governor we may never have.” Your speech touched the heart and soul and moved many to identify with you. I will not be exaggerating if I mention that a couple of persons had tear drops as they listened to you. It was an emotional moment. The silence was loud as if it was a funeral oration.

“You were not arrogant, but respectful, humble in your delivery and the message was deep. I remember vividly how Sen. David Mark walked to shake hands with you. You spoke as a professor that is awake, that has identity, passion, promise, and desire to serve.

” Talking about the desire to serve, I have followed you carefully since your appointment as the Vice Chancellor of Benue State University. With an existing knowledge of your person, I was excited. I followed several positive comments on social media about your person. But there was a particular piece that went viral. It was written by Professor Zanzan Uji from the University of Jos, where you came from. And I note with every sense of respect, that your appointment was one that most people commended Ortom.

“The Professor made a profound statement about you, and it is from this piece of his, that I derive the reason, message and purpose of this letter to you.

“To illustrate my theme and message, I would like to quote a specific portion from Professor Uji’s piece that has given me the energy and purpose for this letter.

Professor Uji titled his piece “He Always Stood Out.” He was describing a situation in Ola Rotimi’s Play “Holding Talks” that he and ‘Black Joe’ as Tor Joe Iorapuu was fondly called then acted together. The Professor played the lead role, and “Black Joe” played the role of the Dead Barber.

“Black Joe was the one that stood out” according to Professor Uji.

“Lying prostrate and spread-eagled on the floor of the Theatre Stage throughout the 181/2-hour duration of the play as a ‘dead man.’ It was incredible that he never moved a muscle, never swiped a mosquito, never scratched an itch on his skin throughout that harrowing period. He stood out” (my emphasis).

“The quote flags the theme: “Of Personal Pain, Anger and Official Hate.”

“Professor Iorapuu, my appeal to you in August 2023 to resign was out of love. At the end of our conversation, I encouraged you to keep your mind open and always reflect on our conversation. But I never stopped there, I prayed for you daily.

“The point I am trying to make here is that your antecedents have shown and portrayed you as a calm, disciplined and focused person. You look unruffled, confident and determined and this affirms the description Professor Zanzan had alluded. And it is a quality that will attract undue hate on your person.

“As a Vice Chancellor, you superintended over one of the most complicated universities in recent times. You have worked with two Visitors, two Chancellors, three Pro-Chancellors, three different Councils, three different names for the University. This is confusion epitomized.

“Professor Iorapuu, regardless of the confusion, you have excelled. You are the first person from another University to become a Vice Chancellor since the establishment of the university. For this reason, you have experienced and encountered anger and hate. There have been deliberate efforts to frustrate you with strikes. The information is on the streets, beer parlours and social gatherings, how your staff fabricated and still fabricate stories to malign and cause the government to remove you. Certain things are not appropriate for mention here. One thing is certain, you now know who we are.

“You established professional programmes, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Architecture; unbundled programmes, cleared seven academic sessions of outstanding convocation. A parent and staff of the University could not believe that his daughter who graduated last year could be part of the convocation in December the same year. According to him, the university had lost the tradition. Students had forgotten about convocation ceremonies. But your tenure changed this narrative. You had successful accreditation of programmes; reformed the Post graduate school and improved postgraduate programmes.

” Students are now graduating on schedule. It was a nightmare and harrowing doing a PG programme in BSU until your arrival. I went to Unijos for my PG programme for reasons I would not want to discuss here.

But I am excited that there are positive stories about the changes and progress at the PG School. I am reliably informed also that you have improved the international visibility of the university with international agency presence.

I would be surprised if this never happened because of your capacity in this area. Two other things I must mention before I proceed. You championed two radical decisions that confirm that you are pro-student and young people’s advocate. You introduced electronic voting at the university for students’ union elections. This progressive step has enabled two female students to win SUG President, and the first Idoma chap to emerge as President since the establishment of the school.

This action eliminated violence and groups of cultists who determined the election result. Secondly, another revolutionary step was the review of the Students’ Handbook, except for serious cases such as robbery, violence, fighting during examination, students caught for examination misconduct will no longer be rusticated for one year. Such students will serve specific punishment on campus while attending lectures in addition to repeating the very course the offence is committed.

This action will not only eliminate waste of human resources, it will give the affected students hope and a sense of the future. We are on ground politically and otherwise, and so, we hear, see and engage. We also know and hear when they are planning to rubbish someone.

“Now, the fundamental question is, who has a grudge with you? It would appear to me that there are people that don’t like your swag, your guts and your confidence.

Yes, I can understand why your staff will feel intimidated. You came with experience, determination and exposure. This was not your destination.

I overheard some staff make open confession that they were prepared for the job.

Different tricks, threats and strikes were used to distract you, but to borrow the lines of Professor Zanzan Uji, you “never moved a muscle,” you remained focused.

“Then, came what I describe as personal pain, anger and official hate of some sort.

The long pretentious acts have finally manifested. There have been different theories, some linking it with your younger brother the Vicar-General Pastoral.

I can tell you now without contradiction that this regime hates you. It is official. Some Government Officials with good conscience have also whispered it. Politicians have whispered it.

“Recent developments at your university have confirmed those very fears.

Considering all the rumour and some fabrications about your person and purported suspension, I spoke to three members of the Visitation Panel, and all of them assured me that there was no recommendation anywhere in their report indicting you or suggesting that the Vice Chancellor or any staff at all, should be suspended. One confided in me that there were attempts to lure the panel into indicting you at all costs. But when asked to provide good reasons and evidence, such persons would leave and never return.

Another went further to say that most of the noticeable infractions did not occur during your regime.

“Therefore, the decision that you go on leave was orchestrated. The idea was to humiliate and provoke you to go to court.

You were to resume and then, you were asked to continue with the leave. You were made to think that it was a Council decision.

That was someone else’s script. I am reliably informed that you knew you were not coming back, and you chose to remain still and quiet. That stillness: that quietude, and that endurance regardless of all that has happened without a single word, confirms the character you are made of. It is the highest level of maturity. It is difficult to find people here to keep quiet when faced with such humiliating situations.

Not when every household has one social media expert journalist. But you simply did not ‘move a muscle.’ Professor Zanzan Uji was right, you have ‘stood out’ for me with this uncommon display of character.

There is something about you the state is missing, and the University may have missed. Maybe, God is preparing you for something greater.

“Another learning point for me is your resilience. How did you manage the organized anger and official hate from your staff and that of the state? There was so much treachery from staff of the university mostly. I did not know that professors can rat out their own. Some lies were so ridiculous that even God will not believe or understand this act of lies.

Unfortunately, that is how it is sometimes. The world is shit Professor Tor Iorapuu. Those who work hard pay for the sins of the treacherous ones. Notwithstanding, you never gave up. You carried on with this unyielding patience, passion and determination. You always smiled as if nothing was ever wrong.

“Finally, you have come to the end of it all. The five years is over. Any personal pain, anger or even official hate now is a waste of time. You ‘stood out’ for me, Professor Iorapuu. We will always remain losers. I can say without fear that both the university and the state did not utilize your capacity. But here is what the late former Kenyan President Raila Odinga said: “when you are doing something, don’t expect reward. Do what you believe is right as a matter of course, because it is not what you get when you are alive. History will all the time absolve you. So, what you are doing is for posterity… if this generation fails to recognize it, the future will.”

“I hereby congratulate you for weathering the collective and organized anger and official hate. You are not affected by criticism. I have realised that no flattery or praise can affect you because you do not believe in labels. You will remain a goal model for many. I know someone who used to say, history has a long eye.

It is a matter of time, Nigeria will recognize you where Benue State has failed.”