- VC Obi sues for calm, assures justice will be served
BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – Worried by the raging controversy surrounding the sexual harassment crisis rocking the institution, the University of Calabar (UNICAL) authorities have appealed for calm from the public.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Florence Obi made the appeal while providing an update on the case that has continued to attract national attention, assuring that there is no witchhunt as being speculated in the media space.
She said the University’s authorities only reacted to the protest by students of the Law Faculty over complaints concerning sexual harassment and other extant allegations of administrative malfeasance.
According to her, no responsible administrator would fold his or her arms in the midst of issues that tend to portray any establishment in a bad light, stressing that the investigative panel established to unravel the underlying issues concerning the case was purely a fact-finding one.
Further dismissing insinuations of a “witch hunt being bandied about in some uninformed quarters”, the Vice Chancellor explained that it is only after the panel has submitted its report that the UNICAL authorities would determine the next step to take.
She also allayed fears concerning the panel’s objectivity and capacity to deliver on their mandate, stressing that the integrity of the members should convince anyone that they would surely deliver effectively on their assignment.
Prof Obi maintained that the Panel’s membership with respectable public organisations like the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Gender Unit of the Nigerian Police, the Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA), and UNICAL Alumni should readily convince anyone in doubt that the University’s authorities are indeed fair-minded in their approach toward resolving such a sensitive issue which has undoubtedly painted the esteemed institution in a bad light.
She urged the University community to remain calm and peaceful while approaching their work schedule with every sense of commitment, cautioning the staff against being distracted by the current happenings.
The VC assured that the authorities are on top of the situation with a clear vision and focus to ensure their objective of making UNICAL one of the best academic institutions in the country remains unhindered
