The University of Education (UEW) has, with immediate effect, sacked its visiting Nigerian lecturer, Prof. Augustine Uzoma Nwagbara over comments he made in a video that has since gone viral.

Prof. Nwagbara was arrested on Tuesday but later granted bail for allegedly inciting the Nigerian community in Ghana to devise strategies that will destroy Ghana’s image internationally.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the University said the comments by the lecturer were inimical to the country’s educational sector, hence his dismissal.

“The University is highly disturbed by the huge embarrassment his unguarded statement has brought to the institution, the Ministry of Education, and indeed, Ghana as a whole. The University after subjecting Prof. Augustine Uzoma Nwagbara to the internal disciplinary process finds him culpable of gross misconduct and has, accordingly dismissed him.”

The University said, although Prof. Nwagbara has been on sabbatical leave from its Department of Applied Linguistics since October 2018, his comments after it set up an internal disciplinary process observed that the utterances were ‘ unsavoury, unethical and damning about the country, its history as well as its educational system. The University totally dissociates itself from the grossly irresponsible comments and condemns it in no uncertain terms.”

“The University apologises to Ghanaians for Prof. Nwagbara disparaging remarks about this country’s educational system and further indicates that the comment was full of factual inaccuracies”, portions of the statement added.

Read the full statement below:

PRESS RELEASE
PROFESSOR AUGUSTINE UZOMA NWAGBARA DISMISSED FROM UEW

1. The University of Education Winneba wishes to inform the general public that it has taken a very serious view of the video circulating on social media, involving Prof. Augustine Uzoma Nwagbara.

2. Augustine Uzoma Nwagbara, a Professor of English Language, has been on sabbatical at the Department of Applied Linguistics since October, 2018.

3. In the said video, Prof. Nwagbara makes several unsavoury, unethical and damning comments about our country, its history as well as its educational system. The University totally dissociates itself from the grossly irresponsible comments and condemns it in no uncertain terms.

4. The University is highly disturbed by the huge embarrassment his unguarded statement has brought to the institution, the Ministry of Education, and, indeed, Ghana as a whole.

5. The University, upon receipt of the video, immediately invoked its internal disciplinary process to fully examine his conduct relative to the content of the video.

7. The University wishes to indicate that it has in the past hosted several scholars on sabbatical leave from various countries, including Nigeria, and same have conducted themselves with high degree of decorum and professionalism during their stay. Prof. Augustine Uzoma Nwagbara’s behaviour is totally deviant and an aberration that runs contrary to those of his predecessors or the others currently at post.

8. The University after subjecting Prof. Augustine Uzoma Nwagbara to internal disciplinary process finds him culpable of gross misconduct and has, accordingly, dismissed him.
9. The University apologises to Ghanaians for Prof. Nwagbara’s disparaging remarks about this country’s educational system and further indicates that the comments were full of factual inaccuracies.

Thank you
Signed
Registrar



https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/UEW-dismisses-Nigerian-Professor-over-inciteful-comments-756496

Social media is the new Achilles heel of man

SarkinYarki:
Social media is the new Achilles heel of man

Walahi

The man goofed and he is a shame to Nigerians, why try to spoil your fellow Africans image, even if it was done to make Nigeria superior to ghana it still doesn't make it right, Nigeria has a lot to learn from ghana and ghana has a lot to learn from Nigeria, we complement each other.

No igbo would watch u harm there brother without wanting to join the fight .....the university knows they need her more then she needs them

Ghanians or what ever they are called drew the first blood ....and i support this prof

you can't bite the hands that feeding you and think all is well.

johnmartus:
you can't bite the hands that feeding you and think all is well.

u can bite the hand when u are not satisfied

Is that a joke dude .

Samsimple:

u can bite the hand when u are not satisfied

Nobody is questioning the comments he made but want to crucify him. Well, that's the Nigerian atttitude, never satisfied with theirs'.

Why shouldn't he be sacked and arrested for that inciting video, he thinks it is Buhari that he can talk about anyhow.
You live in a foreign country where you earn your living yet badmouthing them and I'm sure he is a Nairalander.

My major problem in all of this is that this builds up hate and trouble for fellow law abiding Nigerians living out there, we all saw and heard what happened in Kumasi Ghana recently.

FearGodinall:
Nobody is questioning the comments he made but want to crucify him. Well, that's the Nigerian atttitude, never satisfied with theirs'.

U have said it all.
Don't be surprised, what he said may be in the INTEREST of NIGERIA, but because NIGERIA is too divided to be united, with several maladies bedeviling it, no one would see any sense in what he said.....

The guy goofed. Your loyalty should be to your employer. Its people like this who cause mutiny in the army. They would be given a task to carryout and they will bring tribalism or sentiment into it.

For all those quoting me and saying am wrong, in the united states they employ every american citizen in the cia, if u are a cia agent with nigerian origin and you are given a task to spy on the nigerian govt. If u are caught doing d contrary by maybe informing nigeria about whats going on its called espionage and its a big offense

MyGeneration:
The guy goofed. Your loyalty should be to your employer. Its people like this who cause mutiny in the army. They would be given a task to carryout and they will bring tribalism or sentiment into it.

Slave

I am not surprised if commenters here will shade the man for acting defensively for Nigeria. After all, he is Igbo. He shouldn't be supported.

The man did the right thing , he should get a new job in any of Nigerians top universities

The prof is a true patriotic Nigerian He has Nigeria's interest at heart. He places his country men above his job. Kudos man.

By their fruits you shall know them...

that's not inciteful..it's a retaliation... Ghanian media are bent on destroying Nigeria's image...even if the crime is committed by Ghanaian,they will still finger Nigerians

mrvitalis:
No igbo would watch u harm there brother without wanting to join the fight .....the university knows they need her more then she needs them

Ghanians or what ever they are called drew the first blood ....and i support this prof

You don't dust your body in the bush, you come out of the bush before you dust your body.

Knowing how and when to strike is more important than striking in itself.

Nigerians are being killed even for the crime done by Ghanaians. But the whole Ghana media is criminalizing all Nigerians and our government can't cut ties with this stupid country call Ghana.

This is where I miss Abacha, brutality is needed now. All Ghanaians should be put where they belong HELL

superlightning:
I am not surprised if commenters here will shade the man for acting defensively for Nigeria. After all, he is Igbo. He shouldn't be supported.

You are carrying generations of inherited persecution complex which has diminished your reasoning and impaired your ability to objectively analyse issues.

Ghanaian are bitting much than they can chew...



When Nigerians will turn against Ghana soon


We will know

Am i even surprised, this people needs to keep their shiit together , I know for a good fact that some few Nigerians are annoying and cos problem for the good ones. But the Professor should have reacted not emotionally or sentimentally but objectively

P

Please this has nothing to do with slave trade, let's not get carried away. There is no justification for inciteful comments even where some Ghanaians have taken law into their hands. They can do better than make the situation worse.

The man was not arrested for condemning injustice. He was arrested for making inciteful comments that can damage the Ghanaian international image which is very true. His speech is not bad but he should blame his fellow Nigerians that posted the video .

Nukilia:


Don't be an asslicker! Kudos to the professor for making those comments. Shame on you for cowardice! You are part of the problem we have in Nigeria. The fact that he works in a foreign land does not mean he should keep silent to the injustice faced by Nigerians in Ghana.

I wonder if folks like you existed during the slave trade era you would have forever remained a slave.

#EmancipateYourself