Tag: UNICAL

  • Write-A-Thon: 2 hours to go, UNICAL undergraduate sets to break another Guinness World Record

    Write-A-Thon: 2 hours to go, UNICAL undergraduate sets to break another Guinness World Record

    By Christian Njoku

    Mr Daniel Aiguokhian, a 300 level student of Philosophy in the University of Calabar, (UNICAL) is set to break the Guinness-World-Record, (GWR) for the longest hours of writing fiction and non-fiction by an individual.

    Aiguokhian who christened his expedition, “Write-A-Thon”, following the the popular “Cook-A-Thon” by Chef Hilda Baci and “Read-A-Thon” by Mr John Obot (GWR) is attempting to write nonstop for 188 hours and started on Sunday  Oct. 1, 2023.

    In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN), on Monday in Calabar, during his short break, he said his motivation to embark in the record breaking expedition was to get the world to view and appreciate the work of writing.

    According to him, “though the task was not an easy one, I wanted to inspire people and let them know that they could go the extra mile to achieve their dream irrespective of their circumstances or challenges.

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    “To undertake this sort of task, you need to be very prepared because a major challenge will be the lack of sleep which will tell on any normal human,” he said.

    He added that he was grateful to the Management of UNICAL, the Department of Philosophy and his fellow students for the support they showed him in the course of the task.

    On his part Dr. Timothy Okpe, a lecturer  in the department of Philosophy in UNICAL and a key support-team member said the journey had not been easy adding that they got to the present level out of sheer determination.

    Okpe said when the expedition started, the publicity was quite low but as they went on people got to know about what was going on and more support started coming in.

    “Daniel will be the new face of UNICAL, henceforth more good tidings will come from this institution.

    “While I wish him all the best, he is an orphan and I appeal to corporate organisations, spirited individuals and governments to endorse him, he has really passed through a lot but is determined to succeed.

    Similarly, Mr Francis Ogonyi, another lecturer in the department of Philosophy said they saw Aiguokhian’s determination and came together as a department to support him.

    He said while the Department of Philosophy would be the first to achieve such feat in the institution, the effort has shown them that their was no level a man could not get to if he was determined.

    Some students of the institution who also spoke to NAN said they were happy that something positive was happening in the institution, following the negative reports that have emanated from the School in the last few weeks.

    NAN reports that by about 7pm on Monday, Aiguokhian would have written for 188 hours breaking the record of Ashrita Furman, an American.

    (NAN)

  • DSS whisks away suspended UNICAL dean to Abuja for interrogation

    DSS whisks away suspended UNICAL dean to Abuja for interrogation

    Security agents suspected to be men from the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested and whisked away to Abuja the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Cyril Ndifon said to be involved in a sex scandal.

    Professor Ndifon and his wife were sighted at about 4.20 pm at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar on an onward journey to Abuja for further interrogation.

    Ndifon was picked up at about midnight on Wednesday by heavily armed men suspected to be from the DSS as he was taken straight to the DSS headquarters at Atimbo in Calabar.

    An eyewitness said the team arrived at about midnight, scaled the fence of the house in Akpabuyo, started shooting sporadically and broke the door open and whisked him away.

    The wife who was confused and worried followed the men until they drove inside the DSS premises but she was not allowed in that night.

    Later this morning, she went back there with her lawyer and were allowed in and after series of interrogation, Ndifon was flown to Abuja from the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar for further interrogation.

    When our reporter visited the state command office of the DSS in Calabar at about 10.32 am on Thursday, the operatives manning the entrance gate denied him entry into the office to confirm the arrest of Prof. Ndifon.

    However, one of the operatives who pleaded not to be named, said he was not aware of the arrest, saying “if we have him here be rest assured that his relatives will be contacted. And you can also confirm from his family which of the security agency arrested him.”

    However, a press release dated October 5 at 3.52 pm from the DSS official Twitter handle by the Director, Public Relations & Strategic Communications Department of State Services National Headquarters Abuja, Dr. Peter Afunanya captioned, “ICPC Seeks DSS Collaboration On The UNICAL Sex Scandal Matter,” confirmed his arrest.

    The release reads, “The ICPC has sought the collaboration of the Department of State Services (DSS) on the University of Calabar (UNICAL) Sex Scandal matter involving Professor Cyril NDIFON, the erstwhile Dean of Faculty of Law of the Institution. The Commission had disclosed the refusal of NDIFON to honour its several invitations, thus his eventual arrest in Calabar, Cross River State, by its operatives on 4th October, 2023, based on a Court Order.

    “However, following the Commission’s request and in the spirit of interagency cooperation, the Service supported it for a successful operation.

    “This is to guide public understanding of the latest developments on the matter.”

    Recall that Prof. Ndifon had last week raised alarm over threat to his life, accusing the management of the University of Calabar of sending some men who disguised as security officials to kidnap him during church service in Calabar.

    About two months ago, students of the Faculty of Law from the institution had staged a peaceful protest accusing Prof. Ndifon of sexual harassment and high-handedness.

  • Embattled UNICAL Dean raises alarm over threat to life

    Embattled UNICAL Dean raises alarm over threat to life

    The former Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar (UNICAL) Prof. Cyril Ndifon has raised alarm over threat to his life.

    The embattled former Dean disclosed this on Sunday evening to some journalists after attending church at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Akim Barrack, Calabar Municipality Local Government Area of Cross River State.

    It would be recalled that about two months ago, students of the Faculty of Law from the institution have accused Prof. Ndifon of sexual harassment and high handedness.

    This has been a trending issue both on social media and the national dailies. The issue had also attracted the federal government through the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Uju Kennedy who tried to wade in.

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    But Prof. Ndifon has on Sunday evening accused the School management of sending some men who disguised as security officials to kidnap him during church service in Calabar.

    According to him, he was in Church at about 8:18 am doing his duty as a church warden when some men who claimed to be security officer came to arrest him but disappeared into thin air before the Rev. Father and some parishioners could question them.

    “Today, I went to church by 8:15 am, where I serve as a church warden and while in church much later towards the end, we got wined that some individuals had come into church and went to see the catechist and inform him that they came to arrest somebody, and the catechist from what we understood asked for identification, they didn’t have any, he asked for search warrant they didn’t have any then the catechist asked them to wait for him to go inform the Reverend Father but on getting there, they have disappeared into thin air.

    “From my discussion with the catechist, later I realized that the people complained that they had to come to church because they felt  Akpabuyo is not safe. Here is my concern, if you are such a legal security agency why don’t you have any form of identification especially in this era where you have cases of kidnapping in Calabar? This could be explained at this background in the fact that I know last week Thursday or thereabout somebody sent a video to me, showing my office was sealed by the management of the University of Calabar so to me there is more to this that meets the eyes.

    “I think this needs a security concern and I thought it is time to shout and talk about the threat to my life because that is what it looks like. If they are investigating, it should be done without threatening me. I haven’t threatened anybody and I don’t think threat should be issued to me.

    “The manner the sealing was done it’s obvious; I am still a staff of the University of Calabar no matter what it is so why would they stop me from going to my office, what if I have my personal things I want to take from my office? So it is a bit shocking that people should go to the level of sealing my office.”

    On why he has refused to attend the panel summon, Ndifon said, “That panel is unknown to my status as a lecturer in the university of Calabar, I am a professor of law and I think the right thing should be done, I’m not scared of appearing in any panel, I have gone to court, I have given my reasons, I have challenged the status of the panel, why should I appear before a panel, it is a bit laughable.

    “They have already joined issues with me in court so let’s go to court and address it, but they haven’t invited me that is what I can say for sure.”

    Ndifon however appealed to the state and federal government agencies concern and well-meaning Nigerians to wade into the issue as it concerns threat to his life.

    “I am calling on well-meaning Cross Riverians, government agencies, all men and women of good conscience to feel very concerned about this little threat especially with the state of kidnapping in Cross River.”

    Some of the witnesses who spoke on the issue condemned the move to the alleged kidnapped and threat to Ndifon’s life in totality.

    One of the witnesses who pleaded anonymity said, “we saw strange people came into the church armed, pretending to be security operatives but we suspected to be kidnappers. They said they were here to arrest Prof. Ndifon but they have no identity on them and no warrant of arrest, before we knew it, they disappeared into thin air. One person that accosted them at the gate rightly informed us that they said they were sent from the University of Calabar and one would begin to wonder, a personality like Prof. Ndifon, why can’t the so called security officials invite him officially? Why come to the church on a Sunday?”

    According to another witness, “It is surprising thing that we witnessed in church today in a place as enclosed as this, you can’t just come in here and harass any individual the way they did today. This is a matter that is already before the court, why not allow the law takes its course. And for an individual or group of people to barge into a worshiping community and demand to have Prof. Ndifon picked, that is a serious issue and a threat to his life. It is clear that those people are either kidnappers or assassins. Why did they disappeared into the thin air if they are  actually from the security agency, so his life is at stake and we are shouting and crying out loud that government should wade in to save this situation before it gets out of hand.”

    Also speaking, one of the church wardens who witnessed the happening said, “As a parishioner, I condemned what happened today in all totality. It is very clear that the issue of Prof. Ndifon and the school authority is being taken out of proportion completely. What we saw, it is clear that there are people who are after his life and we as a church completely in all totality condemn it. And crying out loud, Prof. Ndifon is a renowned citizen of this country so any law enforcement agency that has issues with should have invited him officially but they didn’t present all of that, it is clear, this is a calculated attempt to kidnap him and we as a church condemned it in totality,” he lamented.

  • UNICAL Pro-chancellor calls for Value Addition

    UNICAL Pro-Chancellor inspecting a Guard of Honour during her visit to University of Calabar recently
    6 June 2017 
    The Pro-chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of the University of Calabar, Sen. Nkechi Nwaogu, has challenged members of the Council to strive to add value to the University.
    Sen. Nwaogu gave the charge today during a brief welcome ceremony for her in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office.
    She enjoined them to work together in unity for the development and progress of the institution adding, “if we work together in unity we can turn a storey building to a skyscraper, but if we do not work in unity we can reduce a skyscraper to a bungalow.” 
    The Pro-chancellor assured that she is a team player and would endeavour to carry everyone along throughout the duration of her tenure. 
    In his welcome remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Zana Akpagu, expressed optimism that Sen. Nwaogu’s tenure would witness remarkable achievements. 
    He pledged the cooperation and support of management and staff of the university to enable her to succeed. 
    Earlier on arrival, the Pro-chancellor inspected a colourful Guard of Honour mounted by a detachment of staff of the security unit of the university who also presented her with University of Calabar flag.
    Joseph Ekpang II
    Writes from University of Calabar 
  • CRUTECH: State gov't recalling students themselves is a slap on varsity's authority —Int'l Dev Consultant

    Efio-Ita Nyok|24 May 2017 
    International development consultant, political scientist, social entrepreneur and public affairs analyst, Mr Princewill Odidi, has frowned at Cross River State Government’s unilateral decision, Tuesday, to recall students of Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) without conferring with the management of the University NegroidHaven can report. 
    According to Mr Odidi that action of the state governor through his Commissioner for Education, Mr Godwin Etta, is administratively wrong. He contended that the state governor would have consulted with the varsity’s management. 
    Such an action would compel the school authority to lost her integrity in the face of the students. 
    Hear him: ‘Administratively this is wrong. The Governor should have consulted with the University management and allow the management recall the students back to class. With that the management retains her integrity with the students. 
    ‘The state government recalling the students themselves is a slap on constituted authority in the school. In developed climes, the action of the governor through his commissioner going on press to take an alternate stand against the school means a vote of no confidence on the administration of the school.
    Mr Odidi has observed that, given such scenario, the Vice-Chancellor and the entire governing board of CRUTECH should resign.  ‘Ordinarily the VC and entire governing board should resign to save face’. 
    Recall that on Monday 22 May the school was shut down by the management because of students protest against Management decision to implement the No-fees-no-exams policy. On Tuesday 23 May, the Commissioner for Education, Mr Ettah, ordered the resumption of the CRUTECH. 

    Efio-Ita Nyok
    Is a Blogger, the Editor & Publisher of NegroidHaven.org 
  • CRUTECH: State gov't recalling students themselves is a slap on varsity's authority —Int'l Dev Consultant

    Efio-Ita Nyok|24 May 2017 
    International development consultant, political scientist, social entrepreneur and public affairs analyst, Mr Princewill Odidi, has frowned at Cross River State Government’s unilateral decision, Tuesday, to recall students of Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) without conferring with the management of the University NegroidHaven can report. 
    According to Mr Odidi that action of the state governor through his Commissioner for Education, Mr Godwin Etta, is administratively wrong. He contended that the state governor would have consulted with the varsity’s management. 
    Such an action would compel the school authority to lost her integrity in the face of the students. 
    Hear him: ‘Administratively this is wrong. The Governor should have consulted with the University management and allow the management recall the students back to class. With that the management retains her integrity with the students. 
    ‘The state government recalling the students themselves is a slap on constituted authority in the school. In developed climes, the action of the governor through his commissioner going on press to take an alternate stand against the school means a vote of no confidence on the administration of the school.
    Mr Odidi has observed that, given such scenario, the Vice-Chancellor and the entire governing board of CRUTECH should resign.  ‘Ordinarily the VC and entire governing board should resign to save face’. 
    Recall that on Monday 22 May the school was shut down by the management because of students protest against Management decision to implement the No-fees-no-exams policy. On Tuesday 23 May, the Commissioner for Education, Mr Ettah, ordered the resumption of the CRUTECH. 

    Efio-Ita Nyok
    Is a Blogger, the Editor & Publisher of NegroidHaven.org