UNICAL Management Suspends SUG President As Crisis Between VC And Bursar Persist (VIDEO)

By CrossRiverWatch admin

The protest that greeted University of Calabar yesterday has claimed its first casualty with the suspension of the President of the institution’s Students Union Government President, Daniel Joseph.

Placards bearing students, staff and some members of the public yesterday clashed at the campus gate with some demanding the sack of the Bursar of the school Mr. Peter Agi, accusing him of corruption and diversion of funds while others supported the Bursar and accused the VC of highhandedness.

While those in support of the VC were going on with their protest which started about 9:30am, some supporters of the Bursar were also mobilized to the venue and attempted to stop the protest.

A fracas ensued and ended up in a free for all with the AIT Camera man getting a bruised eye and his camera destroyed before the police arrived to restore calm after arresting some protesters.

Details of the issues surrounding the cause of the protest were not immediately clear to CrossRiverWatch but our correspondent learnt that the duo have been having a long standing supremacy battle since Professor Akpagu became Vice Chancellor last October.

When CrossRiverWatch spoke with the Vice Chancellor, he simply said the event was triggered by “the normal teething professional and administrative issues within our ranks. But to my surprise I learnt some people are now here to disturb the peace of the school.”

In the aftermath of the protest, the school management set up a 5-man committee to investigate the cause of the protest.

The Committee which is still continuing seating, immediately recommended the suspension of the President of the Student Union Government, Daniel Joseph accusing him of leading the students on the protest after accepting monetary inducement, an accusation he has denied.

The SUG President who has since been handed his letter of suspension has left the campus and security personnel in the school have been directed to prevent him from entering the school premises pending when his suspension is rescinded.

CrossRiverWatch learnt that both sides of the stalemate have vowed to deal with each other setting the tone for a battle whose end may yet be in sight.