Meet Professor Tony Eyang, a calm, collected, learned, and very articulate, black-bearded, afro-styled obudu man who occupies the prestigious office of the Dean of Student Affairs, University of Calabar. A casual interaction with him betrays nothing but superior intellect and oratory, one can almost liken to the style and fashion of Professor Wole Soyinka. But in a rather surprising fashion, both men have become known for making unceremonious and obnoxious remarks about politics if the events in the National political sphere and events at the University of Calabar are taken into account.

Professor Tony who directly caters to about 40,000 students from across the country including international students has become a tribal warlord of sorts and a custodian for the preservation or risk of the obvious, He has become a custodian of the political exclusion of non-indigenes. It is no surprise that his office directly supervises the conduct of student elections, this function he carries out by delegating representatives to monitor the screening of candidates and supervision of elections. Most of these elections are carried out in an open pavilion, a stone throw from his office.

Upon assumption non-indigenes who have aspired to offices Professor Tony Eyang or other tribal bigots perceive to be off-limits are either disqualified on frivolous grounds or mischievously rigged out. The Dental students of the University of Calabar under the auspices of the Calabar University Dental Students' Association have been on the receiving end of the fangs of tribal bigotry of the Dean of Students' Affairs.

This is an account of the immoral, offensive, abuse of power, arbitrary use of power and official corruption of one the Universities highest official. One begins to wonder why someone so highly places will seek participation and insertion into things as little as Faculty Elections to play 'God' over students.

Some two years ago, the Students of the Faculty of Dentistry were to elect new leaders, in a keenly contested Presidential race featuring a non-indigene and an indigene resulted in a series of tribalistic politicking. The Dean of Students' Affairs received reports and complaints of perceived mistreatment and plans to rig the elections but gave assurances that nothing of that sort could happen. Yet, students of Obudu extraction or Cross Riverians at large boasted that they had the Dean on their side and the outcome of the election was settled.

On the fateful day, elections held just outside the Deans office, students were screened and given ballot papers to votes. Students soon learnt that the principle of "one man, one vote, only applies persons outside the Deans' protection, as some students were in possession of three or four ballot papers with which they voted their candidates. Upon collation of votes, an eventual winner was announced, obviously Cross Riverian, but the careless execution of electoral malpractice in an academic institution was apparent. Video clips were provided and the votes cast far exceeded the number of registered voters. One would think that the easiest solution would be to sort out the ballot papers, order a recount and the rigging becomes obvious from the candidate who had excess of the votes or at best cancel the elections and conduct fresh ones. The Dean of Students' Affairs received a series of petitions but dismissed the helpless students, and in more than one occasion reminded then the candidate in question was non-Cross Riverian. The demands were simple, do a simple recount or examination of ballot papers as the papers were in the possession of the Students' Affairs Division. The Dean had become Jury, plaintiff and executioner. As he inserted himself in the field of play, Students had to withdraw and "let thing be".

In 2023, history was to repeat itself, as the duo for Presidential elections of the same faculty comprised of a Cross Riverian and a non-indigene. It appears that they had learnt from history, rather than repeat the same hatchet job of electoral rigging under the more watchful eyes of students and cameras, they were to disqualify one candidate on any ground; justifiable or not. An electoral committee was constituted and shortly before forms were put on a sale, the Students' Union Government High Court gave an injunction against the participation of the non-indigene. Grounds for this judiciary decision were not made known to the accused even till date. Students sight redress from the Dean of Students' Affairs who brought in meddle-some interlopers, the very perpetrators of the open perversion of justice the duo of Mr. Favour Iheanacho(Immediate past chief Judge) and Mr. David Ogoke( Chairman of the Malabor Bar Association– the Students Bar). These two had paraded themselves of installing the current judiciary and had the exclusive prerogative to give summarily write arguments and give judgements to favor their preferred candidate even to the extent of signing the judgement with the same signatures. Lawyers and students of the faculty of an law have since called for the discipline of the persons behind such judgement for being an embarrassment to the legal profession. The Dean of Students Affairs in his office declared that this poor judgment from the court would be obeyed, and except it is vacated the non-indigene would not stand. This would be a decision he would come to regret, having listened to the boastful vituperation and promises to deliver judgements in favour of the DSA's interest. The lifespan of the injunction elapsed without a substantive law suit and the judgement was therefore of no effect and vacated. Everybody was set to run for elections and the only challenge would be to prevent electoral fraud.

Unknown to many, the DSA and his loyalist and tribal warlords still had a bag of tricks. On the eve of the election in the dead of the night, the security unit posted a document of cleared candidates and only one the Presidential aspirant who was a non-indigene was not cleared on ground of result. Calls we're made to the Dean who vehemently stated that the decision stands. Students soon learned that this was an aftermath yet another erroneous and frivolous petition from another tribal warlord Miss Triumphant Akobi who had continued to use her familial relationship with the Chief Judge of the Students' High Court to pervert justice. But the case was dead on arrival at least to the reasonable, it was Williams Hazlitt who said "Prejudice is the Child of Ignorance". The electoral guidelines of the Calabar University Dental Students' Association spelt out the criteria to be eligible for contest, only one aspirant satisfied all, the non-indigene. A review of the records of attendance clearly showed that the aspirant from Cross River state should rightly be disqualified having not satisfied the criterion for attendance to congresses. But to prevent heating up the polity, no petitions were filed by the opponent, all that was demanded was a free, fair and credible elections, this prayer was rather dismissed as too ambitious or revolutionary for tribal warlords in a Federal academic institution.

Oliver Wendell-Holmes said "the mind of a bigot is like the pupil of an eye; the more light you pour upon it, the more it will contract". As concerned students we are only crying out for help, as we are setting a dangerous precedent where all students are not treated fairly and justly and we pray that justice be delivered expeditiously. Even as we hope for to experience the prayers of one of America's founders George Washington who said "We have abundant reason to rejoice, that, in this land, the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition." We hope Professor Tony Eyang will do the right thing.

fatpig:
Meet Professor Tony Eyang, a calm, collected, learned, and very articulate, black-bearded, afro-styled obudu man who occupies the prestigious office of the Dean of Student Affairs, University of Calabar. A casual interaction with him betrays nothing but superior intellect and oratory, one can almost liken to the style and fashion of Professor Wole Soyinka. But in a rather surprising fashion, both men have become known for making unceremonious and obnoxious remarks about politics if the events in the National political sphere and events at the University of Calabar are taken into account.

Professor Tony who directly caters to about 40,000 students from across the country including international students has become a tribal warlord of sorts and a custodian for the preservation or risk of the obvious, He has become a custodian of the political exclusion of non-indigenes. It is no surprise that his office directly supervises the conduct of student elections, this function he carries out by delegating representatives to monitor the screening of candidates and supervision of elections. Most of these elections are carried out in an open pavilion, a stone throw from his office.

Upon assumption non-indigenes who have aspired to offices Professor Tony Eyang or other tribal bigots perceive to be off-limits are either disqualified on frivolous grounds or mischievously rigged out. The Dental students of the University of Calabar under the auspices of the Calabar University Dental Students' Association have been on the receiving end of the fangs of tribal bigotry of the Dean of Students' Affairs.

This is an account of the immoral, offensive, abuse of power, arbitrary use of power and official corruption of one the Universities highest official. One begins to wonder why someone so highly places will seek participation and insertion into things as little as Faculty Elections to play 'God' over students.

Some two years ago, the Students of the Faculty of Dentistry were to elect new leaders, in a keenly contested Presidential race featuring a non-indigene and an indigene resulted in a series of tribalistic politicking. The Dean of Students' Affairs received reports and complaints of perceived mistreatment and plans to rig the elections but gave assurances that nothing of that sort could happen. Yet, students of Obudu extraction or Cross Riverians at large boasted that they had the Dean on their side and the outcome of the election was settled.

On the fateful day, elections held just outside the Deans office, students were screened and given ballot papers to votes. Students soon learnt that the principle of "one man, one vote, only applies persons outside the Deans' protection, as some students were in possession of three or four ballot papers with which they voted their candidates. Upon collation of votes, an eventual winner was announced, obviously Cross Riverian, but the careless execution of electoral malpractice in an academic institution was apparent. Video clips were provided and the votes cast far exceeded the number of registered voters. One would think that the easiest solution would be to sort out the ballot papers, order a recount and the rigging becomes obvious from the candidate who had excess of the votes or at best cancel the elections and conduct fresh ones. The Dean of Students' Affairs received a series of petitions but dismissed the helpless students, and in more than one occasion reminded then the candidate in question was non-Cross Riverian. The demands were simple, do a simple recount or examination of ballot papers as the papers were in the possession of the Students' Affairs Division. The Dean had become Jury, plaintiff and executioner. As he inserted himself in the field of play, Students had to withdraw and "let thing be".

In 2023, history was to repeat itself, as the duo for Presidential elections of the same faculty comprised of a Cross Riverian and a non-indigene. It appears that they had learnt from history, rather than repeat the same hatchet job of electoral rigging under the more watchful eyes of students and cameras, they were to disqualify one candidate on any ground; justifiable or not. An electoral committee was constituted and shortly before forms were put on a sale, the Students' Union Government High Court gave an injunction against the participation of the non-indigene. Grounds for this judiciary decision were not made known to the accused even till date. Students sight redress from the Dean of Students' Affairs who brought in meddle-some interlopers, the very perpetrators of the open perversion of justice the duo of Mr. Favour Iheanacho(Immediate past chief Judge) and Mr. David Ogoke( Chairman of the Malabor Bar Association– the Students Bar). These two had paraded themselves of installing the current judiciary and had the exclusive prerogative to give summarily write arguments and give judgements to favor their preferred candidate even to the extent of signing the judgement with the same signatures. Lawyers and students of the faculty of an law have since called for the discipline of the persons behind such judgement for being an embarrassment to the legal profession. The Dean of Students Affairs in his office declared that this poor judgment from the court would be obeyed, and except it is vacated the non-indigene would not stand. This would be a decision he would come to regret, having listened to the boastful vituperation and promises to deliver judgements in favour of the DSA's interest. The lifespan of the injunction elapsed without a substantive law suit and the judgement was therefore of no effect and vacated. Everybody was set to run for elections and the only challenge would be to prevent electoral fraud.

Unknown to many, the DSA and his loyalist and tribal warlords still had a bag of tricks. On the eve of the election in the dead of the night, the security unit posted a document of cleared candidates and only one the Presidential aspirant who was a non-indigene was not cleared on ground of result. Calls we're made to the Dean who vehemently stated that the decision stands. Students soon learned that this was an aftermath yet another erroneous and frivolous petition from another tribal warlord Miss Triumphant Akobi who had continued to use her familial relationship with the Chief Judge of the Students' High Court to pervert justice. But the case was dead on arrival at least to the reasonable, it was Williams Hazlitt who said "Prejudice is the Child of Ignorance". The electoral guidelines of the Calabar University Dental Students' Association spelt out the criteria to be eligible for contest, only one aspirant satisfied all, the non-indigene. A review of the records of attendance clearly showed that the aspirant from Cross River state should rightly be disqualified having not satisfied the criterion for attendance to congresses. But to prevent heating up the polity, no petitions were filed by the opponent, all that was demanded was a free, fair and credible elections, this prayer was rather dismissed as too ambitious or revolutionary for tribal warlords in a Federal academic institution.

Oliver Wendell-Holmes said "the mind of a bigot is like the pupil of an eye; the more light you pour upon it, the more it will contract". As concerned students we are only crying out for help, as we are setting a dangerous precedent where all students are not treated fairly and justly and we pray that justice be delivered expeditiously. Even as we hope for to experience the prayers of one of America's founders George Washington who said "We have abundant reason to rejoice, that, in this land, the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition." We hope Professor Tony Eyang will do the right thing.

hahaha

Tribalism shouldn’t have a place to stay in a federal university