ASUU alleges threats to life of Ebonyi University chairman

The Calabar Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities has raised their voices over threat to life of its acting chairperson in the Ebonyi State University, Ikechwuku Igwenyi.

ASUU coordinator for the zone, Dr Aniekan Brown raised the alarm at a media briefing in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Saturday

He said the life of Igwenyi was in danger, adding that should anything happen to him, the Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, should be held responsible.

He alleged that the governor had, in a bid to force him (Igwenyi) to resign his appointment, ordered the traditional rulers of Okposi, his home town, to initiate plans to ostracise him from the community.

Brown, who is a senior lecturer at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, said, “Governor David Umahi, who is supposed to be the Chief Security Officer of the state with the primary obligation of protecting lives and property of the citizens stated that Comrade Igwenyi is the reason there is no peace in the state and in the university and urged the people of the Ohaozara Local Government Area to raise 1,000 youths to occupy the residence of  Ikechuku Igwenyi at Abakaliki for seven days; apprehend his parents in their family home at Okposi and occupied the place for another seven days, while the traditional rulers should initiate plans to ostracise the Igwenyi family from Okposi community, should he fail to leave the seat as ASUU chairperson and resign his appointment as a lecturer at the university.”

He said the chairman of ASUU EBSU  had become a thorn in the flesh of the state government over his refusal to agree on the decision of EBSU management to implement the recommendation of the staff audit of 2018, which stated that those sacked and granted executive state pardon be sacked again.

He lamented that EBSU workers had been subjected to “untold hardship, humiliation, devastating and dehumanising conditions, job insecurity, leading to psychological mortification, mental torture and deprivations of unimaginable proportion.”

Reacting, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Ebonyi State  on Media and Publicity, Mr Francis Nwaze, said youths of the Igwenyi’s community protested against the ASUU chairperson adding that the governor only came in to resolve the crisis.

“There is no such thing to the best of my knowledge. The governor was recently briefed that some youths were protesting t; so he asked why they were protesting and they explained and the governor said he was going to resolve the matter. So who ever is saying this is not saying the truth,” Nwaze said.