SERG Condemns Falsehoods and Reckless Politicisation of UNN Administrative Processes

 PRESS RELEASE: South East Revival Group (SERG)

SERG Condemns Falsehoods and Reckless Politicisation of UNN Administrative Processes

…Says JCSF Attempting to Drag UNN Into Manufactured Political Controversy

The South East Revival Group (SERG) has strongly condemned the recent press statement issued by the so-called Joint Civil Society Front (JCSF) calling for the suspension or resignation of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya. The regional group described the action as reckless, misleading, politically motivated, and grossly unbecoming of any organisation claiming to defend civil society interests.

SERG notes with deep concern that JCSF has embarked on a deliberate campaign of misinformation, distortion of facts, and the irresponsible politicisation of what is at best a routine administrative clarification involving academic records, twisting it into a baseless crisis to attack the integrity of the university and its leadership.

UNN Vice Chancellor Was Not in Office When Former Minister Uche Nnaji Was a Student

It is important to state categorically that Prof. Simon Ortuanya was not the Vice Chancellor of UNN at the time Chief Uche Nnaji was admitted, attended, or completed any academic programme in the institution.

He neither handled nor supervised any part of the former minister’s academic journey.

This makes the allegation of “tampering” with records not only illogical but also malicious and defamatory.

JCSF Must Stop Politicising a Straightforward Administrative Issue

SERG warns that dragging the name of UNN—Nigeria’s premier indigenous university—into unnecessary political drama is irresponsible and damaging. Academic institutions cannot and must not be turned into battlegrounds for political vendetta or personal grievances.

The group emphasised that verifying or clarifying academic records is a statutory administrative procedure, not an act of political warfare. The Registrar and relevant academic offices remain the custodians of such records, and internal administrative clarifications should not be misrepresented as criminal conspiracies.

False Narrative of “Bias” is Deliberate Mischief

It is therefore shocking that JCSF would claim that an attempt to clarify records—records the institution itself has previously commented on—amounts to political bias or personal vendetta. This is a clear act of mischief intended to whip up unnecessary sentiment.

SERG notes that the so-called “civil society front” has suddenly turned itself into a political pressure group acting as defenders and spokespersons for an individual who already had his records publicly clarified by the UNN Registrar in the past.

UNN Must Not Be Intimidated by Shadow Groups

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka is a respected academic institution, not a political playground. Calls for the suspension or resignation of the Vice Chancellor—without a single shred of evidence and without any formal indictment—are nothing but an attempt to intimidate UNN leadership and interfere with its autonomy.

SERG insists that no individual or group has the right to blackmail university administrators in the name of activism.

Let the Investigative Panel Do Its Work Without Media Trials

SERG fully supports the decision of the Honourable Minister of Education to set up a panel of inquiry. However, it warns that pre-emptive calls for suspension, based on propaganda and sensational allegations, are aimed at influencing the process and destroying reputations before facts are established.

SERG’s Position

1. The allegations against the Vice Chancellor are baseless, politically motivated, and lacking factual foundation.

2. JCSF must desist from misleading the public and weaponising civil society activism for political ends.

3. UNN must be allowed to operate without harassment or external political interference.

4. The investigative panel should work independently, free from the intimidation and media pressure being orchestrated by vested interests.

Conclusion

SERG urges the public, the academic community, and well-meaning Nigerians to ignore the orchestrated falsehoods and fabricated drama being circulated to tarnish the image of UNN and its leadership.

The University of Nigeria must not be dragged into personalised political battles.

The truth must be allowed to stand, and desperate attempts to provoke public unrest around a straightforward administrative matter must be rejected by all.

Signed:

Comrade Obiora Omeje

Deputy National Publicity Secretary 

South East Revival Group (SERG)