An open letter to the Oba of Benin
His Royal Majesty,
Omo n'Oba n'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo,
Oba Erediauwa CFR,
The Oba of Benin.
Your Majesty
A clarion call for the arrest of the notorious 'pull him down syndrome' amongst Benin intelligentsias; A special appeal for the protection of Prof. Oshodin, and his legacies in the University of Benin, from enemies within. A letter by the Benin National Congress. 28th August 2014.
The Benin National Congress as His Majesty may well know is unarguably one of the foremost non-violent and constructively militant Benin youth movement in the last eight years; and we have been engrossed with the propagation and protection of cherished Benin values and customs. It is noteworthy that by God's grace and mercies, as well as the grace of our ancestors, we mechanized the needful protests and petitions that threw up Prof. Osayuki Godwin Oshodin as Vice Chancellor in 2009. We are not unmindful of the apt interventions that Your Majesty played in this regard; for which we are eternally grateful to you sir. We recall with nostalgia the instrumental roles that the Esama of Benin (Chief G.O. Igbinedion) and other concerned Edo people played in this project; which made us to break away from the thirty nine uninterrupted years of marginalization from producing a Vice Chancellor in an institution that was virtually founded by a Benin man (Dr. S.O. Ogbemudia); built by the sweat of the Benins; and on Benin soil.
Upon coming on board on the 30th of November 2009, the Vice Chancellor made deliberate efforts to reach out to his Benin compatriots to join him in deconstructing 'the Egiaru syndrome' that has denied our able and employable youths of gainful and meaningful employments for decades in the University. Of a fact some academics that showed interest in the VC contest were individually approached to let go the sour experience of the contest, and team up with the new VC in the greater interests of our people. Deliberate efforts were made to strategically place Edo academics in their deserved office, worthy of note was the appointment of Administrator-in-charge of Ekehuan Campus in 2010, Provost College of Medicine, Dean of Students Affairs amongst other strategic posts that were created for his compatriots by the VC .
Less than two years after this noble gesture, we learnt that some eminent Professors were waging a centrifugal campaign against the person of the VC; and we raised the alarm vide an open letter to Your Majesty to nip-in the bud the alleged squabbles; which was eminently resolved by Your Majesty. After Your Majesty's royal intervention, some of the Professors were on the fence on matters connected to the wellbeing of the University in spite of our effort to forge the cause of unity amongst them. There is no gainsaying the fact that Prof. Oshodin's landmark achievements in the University of Benin are second to none in the University's checkered history. We are at a loss as to why most Nigerians celebrates the Uniben management led by our brother; and some of our very dear Professors will still indulge in nocturnal meetings to sabotage the spirited will of their own brother. It is an ugly sight to behold that those who ought to protect a hard-won-and-achieved-feet, are the very ones that are waging war against it.
On the 5th of August 2014, during one of the phone conversations between Prof. Oshodin and the President of the Benin National Congress it was mutually agreed that the Congress should spread its dragnet to monitor the activities of fifth columnists within and outside the University who treacherously seek to truncate the emergence of a Benin as his successor. This idea came on the heels of various interest group meetings aimed at strategizing for their 'chosen' aspirant for the post; and it was assuming a dangerous dimension following the sick-leave of the VC in the United Kingdom sine on the 9th of May 2014. We positioned our contacts around the Esan, Delta, Ora and Benin groups within and outside the campus. Our study of some Benin group outside the campus revealed that a Forum of Benin Elders led by a retired Supreme Court judge was mechanizing ideas towards the emergence of a Benin-Professor of Medicine as Acting Vice Chancellor under the assumption that Prof. Oshodin was incapacitated and unpredictable as to his choice of a successor. We gathered that some top Benin Professors have been conscripted into a think-thank disguised as a pan Benin group with an ungodly mission to inflict serious and catastrophic damage on the outgoing Vice Chancellor's pedigree and the University's management credibility. For the avoidance of doubt, we attach hereto the thirteen page petition that a faction of Academic Staff Union of Uniben wrote to the Hon. Minister and they caused same to be published in Guardian, Vanguard and Daily Independence Newspapers. We responded to their tirade against Prof. Oshodin promptly as we caused our counter-petition to be published in similar manner including electronic media. Their anti-Benin plot was hashed and huge sums of money, about one million, three hundred thousand naira was dedicated to publish same in local and national dailies; to provoke the wrath of President Goodluck Jonathan GCFR against our noble VC, primarily to sack him and appoint an Acting Vice Chancellor. Unknown to them, that the Machiavelli-script that they are playing is a premeditated plan that will fertilize the emergence of a non-Edo Professor as Vice Chancellor.
Sensing the danger that lie ahead, after thirty nine years of exclusion and persecution without our own son as Vice Chancellor; we contacted Prof. Oshodin of the plot by some of his compatriots and we addressed a counter letter to Mr. President and Minister for Education, and caused same to be published in local and national media. And by the grace of God and our ancestors, their devious plans (written in a thirteen page petition) were diffused. Whilst our brother was still resting under strict medical observations, he prevailed on his medical team to fast –track his discharge in order to save his job, reputation and a golden chance to produce one of our own as a successor, hence his abrupt return to Nigeria. Like we made clear in our open letter to the President Jonathan and Education Minister – if the anti-Benin tendencies that prompted our earth-moving procession on the 7th of September 2009 in the Uniben main gate and the Benin-Lagos express way is revisited; we will not hesitate to deploy live-caskets and coffins including a complete paralysis of the institution, especially when the life of our brother and son –Prof. Oshodin is daily threatened by these centrifugal Professors, desperately witch-hunting a harmless Vice Chancellor.
Respectfully Your Majesty, the primary objective of this vivid summary of our investigation and intervention is to solicit your fatherly support for the overall development of the University vis aviz the deepening of oneness amongst Benin academics, so that Prof. Oshodin does not become the last Benin Vice chancellor in the next ten years as anti-Benin elements have decreed. A disunited people cannot prosecute any meaningful struggle to its logical conclusion; hence we are appealing that our brothers and sisters are made united more than ever to launch and succeed in the task ahead. We pray that Your Majesty decree that any Benin that will gang up against Prof. O.G. Oshodin or Benins in position of authority forthwith becomes an enemy of the land; with humility we were at the verge of declaring some of these anti-Benin as persona non granta in Edo land; but we cautiously reasoned that we have to do this appraisal to Your Majesty, in order not to be guilty of disobedience to your fatherly guidance.
We humbly wish to rededicate our commitment to the cause of Your Majesty and the entirety of our people, at home and abroad. And we do hope that appropriate measures will be taken to check the spread of hate-tendencies amongst our people in positions of authority, so that they will carry themselves as role-models to Benin youths at all times.
Oba gha t'okpere, Ise.
Mr. Osasumwen Erhiamatoe – Social Secretary
Dr. David Ekomwerenren – Director of Publicity and Intelligence.
Cc;
Dr. S. O.Ogbemudia, Former Governor- Midwest/Bendel state
Chief G. O. Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin.
His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Pius Egberamwen Odubu, Dep. Gov. Edo State
His Excellency, Chief John Odigie Oyegun- Former Governor of Edo State
Prince Edun Akenzua- the Enogie of Obazuwa