Nigerian Prof sacked by Ghanaian university denies allegation of public incitement
Posted by FN Editor | 5 years ago | 1,252 times
Embattled visiting Nigerian Professor, Augustine Uzoma Nwagbara who has been sacked by the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Ghana, has said the videotape that has led to his dismissal was doctored.
According to him, he did not utter some of the things attributed to him on the video which are considered to be disparaging to Ghana. The University of Education on Wednesday terminated the contract of Nwagbara who was seen in a video inciting Nigerians against Ghana. He is on sabbatical leave at the university.
The decision to terminate the contract was taken after a Disciplinary Committee of the university conducted a probe into the content of the video. Content of the video has been widely condemned by Ghanaians over fears it could further polarise the recent tensed relationship between locals and Nigerians residing in the country.
The Public Relations Officer of the University of Education, Ernest Azutiga, told Host Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa FM that the remorseful Prof. Nwagbara denied many of the content on the tape when he appeared before the Disciplinary Committee.
“On the issue of Nigerian universities being 80% better than Ghana’s, he said he never said that. On the issue of revenue that the University of Ghana accrues as a result of Nigerian students schooling there, he said he never uttered such claims and that he has no statistics to back that, also the fact that UEW begged him to stay in Ghana, he claims he never said that.
He stressed that the video was doctored and doesn’t fully reflect what he said.”
“Prof. Nwagbara when he appeared before the committee regretted the content of the video and apologized for the disgrace caused the reputable university even though he insisted the video was doctored. He was shocked the video came out because he didn’t see anyone recording the meeting,” Mr. Azutiga added.
Azutiga noted that his own investigations have established that Prof. Nwagbara is a fine lecturer, only that he got carried away by nationalism during his meeting with his compatriots hence the kind of utterances he made.
In his reaction, Ghana’s Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, backed the decision of the University to terminate the appointment of Nwagbara. Speaking to Francis Abban on the Morning Starr yesterday, the Suame MP said the professor’s conduct was inappropriate, Ghana’s Star FM reported.
“What the university has done is appropriate and we can’t continue to have such persons in our midst. No country will encourage that sort of thing in its backyard,” he said. According to reports monitored in Lagos, Nwagbara, in a viral video, had accused the Ghanaian government of maltreating Nigerians.”
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