Odok(L), Ndifon(M), and Alobo(R)
Efio-Ita Nyok|14 November 2016
Do you remember Cross River-born Professor Cyril Osim Ndifon of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar and the rape allegation levelled against him from one Miss Sinemobong Nkang, a 400 level student of the Faculty of Law of the same university?
You will recall that an incident of rape was said to have been perpetuated on Saturday, August 29, 2015 at the office of Prof. Ndifon. This compelled the university authority to suspend the affected professor for three reasons, namely, tearing the test script of the affected student under very suspicious circumstances; relocating the test venue of a single female student to his private office under the guise of getting her to recopy a test script he had earlier torn and the allegation of sexual assault/rape against him.
Since September last year, Prof. Ndifon has been on suspension. The university don has even dragged the University authority to the industrial court. However, the professor's case incited a mixture of feelings, some sympathetic whereas others are revelling over the prospects of the alleged randy university teacher been disgraced from service. One of such sympathisers is one Barr. Joseph Odok, a former student of Prof. Ndifon. Barr. Odok has written copiously to save the face of the badly beaten reputation of the affected professor. He even went as far as engaging the integrity of one Agba Jalingo, the publisher of an online news facility. Another recipient of Barr. Odok's vitriolic vituperations is a former Head of Department in the same Faculty of Law, Dr. Eni Alobo.
Barr. Odok's perceived vitriol against Dr. Alobo did not start recently but the latter had kept his cool claiming that he was not of his class, not until the former's
'Faculty of law Unical: Sanitization or Tsunami?', a tart social media thread that broke the Camel's back. This decisive thread incited Dr Alobo's 'The many Lies of Joseph Odok'. In his post on Facebook, Barr. Odok revealed that the affected faculty is embarking on what he described as 'sanitisation'. Dr. Alobo's reply was an attempt to undermine Barr. Odok. Little wonder he titled it The Many Lies of Joseph Odok.
What follows is a full text of why both university teachers said to each other in the glare of a virtual public.
Faculty of law Unical: Sanitization or Tsunami?' – By Joseph Odok
'Faculty of Law, University of Calabar have been in the news of recent. Some time ago, Dr Eni Alobo raised the issue of a lecturer who is delaying the graduation of a diploma Law student for her refusal of his libidinous advances. Sadly Dr Alobo refused to name the said lecturer and rather chose to give ultimatum to the lecturer on Facebook.
'The Faculty of Law is interested now in sanitizing itself. It has constituted a committee to investigate the matter. Dr Alobo is still refusing to name the said lecturer and the faculty is not ready to allow the case rest especially because the publication further exposed the rot in the system.
'Barr. Joe Etene is not wishing to let the case rest. He had worked to maintain integrity over the years and is not disposed to have his name soiled.
'He who goes to equity must go with clean hands, Dr Alobo may not actually be clean. There are threats to reopen the case of Dr Alobo's threats his colleagues who is said to have registered a sim card with Adams with a fictitious picture and his thumbprint. Dr Alobo had used the registered sim to terrorise the faculty with text messages. When he threatened Dr Ugbe the new Acting Dean of the faculty, he was petitioned and investigations by SSS who linked him with the sim card that has been used to threaten his colleagues. More lecturers are ready to expose the rot in the faculty, especially the issues of alleged graduation of backlog students with bad a academic records through financial inducement.
The game is getting sweeter, God is at work. Will it end a tsunami or Sanitization?
THE MANY LIES OF Joseph Odok – By Eni Alobo
'One Joseph Odok seem to be interested in every matter that concerns me and is ready to go to the extreme in a futile attempt to blackmail, malign and destroy my person. I have exercised elastic restrain all in an attempt to avoid joining issues with him because by all standards, he is not my equal. It is now inevitable that I must respond to some of his dubious, unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations against my person so that falsehood will not metamorphose and transmute into truth.
'First, he has propagated a false theory of SETUP in relation to the suspension of his client, the former Dean of Law. He has spared no lacuna in trying to directly link me to the ruckus. I don't intend to recapitutate the entire events here but it is apt to state the following facts:
THE University of Calabar gave three reasons for the suspension of his client, namely : administering test on a Saturday; tearing of a student script and asking the same student to come and rewrite the same test in his office. The rape allegation made against his client was left for the police to investigate. Now the questions that Joseph odok should answer are: who fixed the test on a Saturday? Who tore the student exams script? Who asked the student to come to the office and rewrite the test? In case his pretentiousness will not allow him answer these questions, let me add by saying that the whole circumstances raised in these questions were designed, constructed and effectuated by his client without any input and/or prompting by me.
'I am the Chairman of Law Faculty Dinner Committee and a signatory to the account. Also, I am the Managing Editor of Calabar Law Journal published by the faculty and a signatory to the account. Law students pay for both the dinner and journal. Petitions were written to ICPC against Odok's client regarding both accounts. The ICPC officially invited me as a key witness but I have been intransigent to date. I've no reason to seek his client's down fall. I know alot and have a lot to say but I will not get down to ur level until you push me further.
'You claim I want to be the Dean which is why I am against ur client. By extant rules, when the Dean is suspended the next in rank will automatically act. I am sure ur not aware of this. I am not even the 10th in rank. Let me intimate you that my desire is to be a Professor and I am working assiduously for this through the grace of God. Bringing down ur client will not make me a Prof. Serving the university as HOD or Dean is sacrificial in nature and time consuming. I need time to focus on my research and consultancy jobs with some government agencies.
'Second, the former Dean in an attempt to clear all backlog results appointed and mandated exams officers to prepare all such results. Thereafter, the faculty set up a Committee which consisted of the four HODs including myself. The complied results was submitted to my committee on the 16th of November but for seven months nothing was done to these effect. I spoke vehemently on the need for this results to be treated and when the students started threatening, i was reported to the DSS and a thorough investigation was conducted. At the end, I was exonerated. But then, in his usual attempt to twist facts, Joseph Odok hastily when to town claiming that my finger print matched the simcard used for the threat.
'WE all have phones and know the process of buying and registering simcard. Biometrics are taken include photo. So even if you give a fake name, at least ur identity will still be manifest. I thought Odok will have the courage to inform the public about the outcome of the DSS investigation! I didn't prepare the results so I don't understand how I can be involved in any unsavoury dealings. Besides, the University has setup a committee of three Professors to scrutinise the results.
'Third, I made a post concerning a student whose project file was unjustifiably detained and gladly the file was immediately released. The faculty is interested to ensure that the student is not victimised. It is within my right to express opinion through any platform and nobody can take that away from me. Let me assure Odok that the quest for integrity and dignity in the university system is a fight that many lecturers are involved in and there is a network in this respect. I am open to scrutiny. I laugh when I read ur post because I ve grown pass such stage in life. I lecture labour law in Dept of Biz MGT, business law in Accounting and IPPA and of course, contract, criminal and international law in the faculty of law. I spend at least 3 minutes of my class on moral lessons. I don't intend to be boastful about the financial help I render to students.
'You go about claiming that ur client made me what I am today. God forbid that glory should be given to a human being for divine success. I won the Pa S. E. Imoke's award as the best student academically after my WAEC, I didn't know ur client. I spent five years as an undergraduate law student graduating among the tops without knowing ur client. I passed the Bar Exams without knowing ur client. I completed my masters in 16 months and was supervised by Prof Ibanga without ur client. UR client supervised my PhD and I am thankful to him for the speedy and thorough reading/scrutiny of my work. At the end, he commended my industry and determination. Together and with God, we finished a work of five years in two and a half years and Prof Ebeku insisted I must defend. Prof Ebeku subsequently recommended me for appointment as HOD and renewed same after my first term.
'Joseph Odok, you have threatened by life severally through your post including ur death wish in a poem published online and surreptitiously distributed in the faculty. I ve pieced together all these evidences and my people and the world is aware of this. You and ur client should ago ahead! I thank God you have the monopoly of violence and nobody can avenge for me if you strike. Hmmmmm! God will fight the battle.
***Is there any need for the duo of Barr. Joseph Odok and Dr. Eni Alobo to engage in fisticuffs over Prof. Cyril Ndifon's rape scandal especially in public? Does it show that there are intellectuals from a prestigious academic environment? I think that Dr. Alobo would have been consistent in keeping mum particularly on social media over Barr. Odok especially considering that a court is yet to delivers its judgment over the suit. Or, are my wrong?
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger, the Editor & Publisher of NegroidHaven.org
