How Agi Imported Mob To Beat Up Journalists, Staff By Inyali Peter

Mr. Peter Agi, UNICAL Ex-Bursar

Many issues have popped up since the suspension of University of Calabar, UNICAL former Bursar, Peter Agi. While so many people have credited some trivial things for his suspension, investigation has continued to revealed other heinous crimes that informed his pathetic disengagement from UNICAL.

One of such according to findings is the August 15, 2016 UNICAL mob attack. Agi has been fingered as the masterminder of the brutalization of journalists who were on the scene to cover the protest by the university branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

The UNICAL ASUU had taken to the street to proteest against the continued refusal of Agi to release their duly approved and legitimate entitlements. The protest was organized and peaceful. The Union embarked on the protest after obtaining clearance from the Police and relevant authorities.

But regrettably, Agi reportedly imported mob who carried placards "supportive" of him and violently attacked the Press who were present to legitimately cover the ASUU protest. Their cameras and other devices were damaged in the process. 

Although, Agi in his defence has alleged that he is being fingered wrongly for mobilizing people to attack protesting staff, the scenario that surrounded the counter protest is of course too glaring that he had a hand in it.

This is because on the day of the Protest, Agi was billed to travel with the Vice Chancellor and other Principal officers of the university to Nairobi, Kenya for a seminar. But he collected the estacode for the trip but dubiously decided to stay back. 

He failed to officially inform the university authority why he stayed back or returned the estacode he collected. He only gave a careless excuse that he was not traveling with his undefined "enemy". 

In his usual combative disposition, Agi who had wind of the protest decided to stay back to organize counter protest. 

According to the incident report, a night to the day of the protest, Agi had meeting with the then SUG President, Mr. Daniel Joseph and some non members of the university who were financially induced to violently disrupt the ASUU protest against him. 

Just when the Peaceful protesters were being dispersed by the Police, the bursar called the DCSO and told him to wait and see what his "boys" would soon do. Unfortunately, few minutes after the call, his "boys" arrived in one of his cars (RBC 859AB). The team was led by his friends who were neither students nor staff of the university.

In his usual bravado, Agi is alleged to have severally openly boasts of having "bad boys" and some union leaders under his payroll and control and can render the university in ungovernable in just a phone call.

UNICAL ASUU in a petition sent to the investigation panel described the grievous act by Agi as unforgivable. This of course is not surprising owing to the fact that some of the staff his "boys" attacked were Agi's former lecturers. And again, the image the incident created about the character of UNICAL principal officers is unimaginable.

How a principal officer of the university could denigrate so low to procuring voioent mob to attack staff and the very institution that he was duty bound to protect is totally embarrassing and disappointing.

ASUU quarrelled that "A principal officer whose character creates room for suspicion of such magnitude in a university environment, ab initio, leaves further room for the interrogation of an employment error and total unworthiness of the high office, in the circumstance".

The association further said that " The mere suspicion not even the direct allegation, as in this case,or veracity should normally cause a 'decent' human being to voluntarily quit the system, or be totally removed from it with ignominy ".

While many people have erroneously held to their opinion that the ex-bursar was removed because of his tensed relationship with the Vice Chancellor, Prof Zana Akpagu, findings have shown that his removal was burn out hundreds of petitions by almost every unit of the university. In fact, it was long overdue and aimed at protecting the dignity and reputation of UNICAL.

In fact, it was a fight for the soul of UNICAL. Perhaps, this tell why there have been rapid infrastructural and academic development ever since he was removed. Staff are no longer denied their legitimate allowances to attend seminars, workshops and further studies. Contractors are promptly paid and above all, boys who were under Agi's payroll and specially trained to make the school ungovernable are no longer serviced.

Besides, the current security challenges facing the institution can be traced to his threat of making the varsity ungovernable when he chooses. The university management and relevant authorities should urgently call him for interrogation.