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[OPINION] Why I’ll Continue to Call FUTO a Fraudsters’ University
A couple of well-meaning alumni of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, reached out to me and requested that I spare them the embarrassment of calling their alma mater the Fraudsters’ University of Technology, Owerri.
They have my sympathy, but here’s why I won’t stop calling FUTO a treacherous den of conscienceless intellectual fraudsters.
It has nothing to do with the graduates of the school, many of whom have distinguished themselves in their fields and are a pride not just to their school but also to Nigeria.
It has everything to do with the school’s vacuous and mercenary Vice Chancellor— who sold a “professorship” to a vain, insecure, emotionally unstable, psychologically damaged kook— and with the gormless idiots in ASUU FUTO who endorsed, justified, and defended her fraud.
FUTO’s Pantamized professorial fraud has no precedent in Nigeria. None at all. I have seen examples of people in government being promoted to the professorial rank by universities from which they were seconded to serve in government.
That’s defensible because such people are still technically employed by their universities and are only sojourning in government service.
But Pantami was never employed by FUTO. He is not on secondment from FUTO. He just woke up one day and said he wanted the title “Professor” to be prefixed to his name to heal the inexplicably deep sense of inferiority complex he nurses. He approached three universities in the North who rejected him.
Then he approached FUTO through shady intermediaries whose names I’ve chosen to withhold for now.
Because FUTO has no standards, no conscience, no morals, and no pretense to even the wispiest shred of basic decency, it violated its own time-honored traditions and regulations and “promoted” a government minister not previously in their employ to the professorial rank in exchange for all kinds of unethical inducements.
That’s unprecedented corruption and abuse of power in the university system.
When I called them out, they said the minister wasn’t “promoted” but “appointed,” although in the statement announcing the fraud, the term “promoted” was used. But saying he was “appointed” made the fraud even worse because Pantami does not meet the criteria that FUTO’s own governing board set for promotion to the rank of professor.
As I repeatedly said, FUTO’s job ad requires 12 years of post-PhD teaching and research experience to be appointed to a professorship, which Pantami miserably falls short of.
Not to mention that, by law, Pantami can’t take another federal government appointment (whether or not he receives compensation for it) while he serves as a minister.
In spite of the manifest illegality of “appointing” a powerful government minister who was not a FUTO employee to a “professorship,” the shameless VC defended it, and ASUU FUTO, which should be the conscience of the university, justified it with nauseatingly illiterate glee.
To make matters even more criminally hilarious, the fraudulent VC who perpetrated this extraordinarily demonstrable intellectual fraud is suing the national body of ASUU for calling out her fraud and is also impotently threatening to sue me for leading the charge to hold her to account.
That happens only in a fraudsters’ university.
If FUTO’s alumni want me to stop calling their university the Fraudsters’ University of Technology, Owerri, they should sue the dishonest VC and the governing board of the university for desecrating their alma mater’s traditions by fraudulently conferring a fraudulent professorship on a fraudulent minister who has not the remotest affiliation with their university.
By Farooq Kperogi
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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