Did you know that under Prof. Zana Akpagu’s reign as Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, (UNICAL) the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria rated the institution’s Dental Laboratory as the best in the nation? At one point, the council even recommended its conversion to a full fledged Dental Clinic.
The lab was so advanced with nearly surplus equipments that the university donated five state-of-the-art dental chairs to the university teaching hospital. This fact can be verified. Yet, the current administration has systematically mismanaged the programme and is now deliberately attempting to rewrite history by shifting the blame to Prof. Akpagu’s administration as its tries to push out about 300 students for alleged over admission.
The same fate befell the Prof. Akpagu administration’s transformative Microfinance Bank initiative. He established microfinance banks in some underserved local government areas, bringing vital banking services to communities without banks. Farmers and low income Cross Riverians accessed low interest loans, fueling economic empowerment while generating more revenue for the university.
The current administration obliterated this progress. But if crisis happen in that unit of the institution now, they’ll still deflect blame to Prof. Akpagu and his administration, even five years after his tenure. This is not governance; it’s a spineless blame game, devoid of solutions, vision and ambition.
As Prof. Akpagu’s Chief Media Officer at the time, I can’t remember a time he ever disparaged his predecessor, Emeritus Prof. James Epoke, for any inherited challenges. Over six months into his administration, people employed by the Epoke administration were still doing documentation. He didn’t stop or forced them to go to court as it is the case with the current administration.
The current UNICAL administration, which once claimed the university was overstaffed, has been secretly recruiting while blocking those employed under Prof. Akpagu’s administration from working. What offence did the man commit against the current leadership to warrant this punishment of innocent people?
Unlike past administration, which embraced governance as a continuum by accepting both the assets and liabilities of its predecessor, the current leadership is doing the opposite. It quietly takes credit for past initiatives, such as the NDDC road intervention from the main gate and boulevard, while blaming Akpagu for its own failures.
Honestly, when the current administration ends, we will compare achievements of the Prof. Akpagu’s era ranging from programme expansion, patented research breakthroughs, infrastructure, campus stability, and robust community ties, etc, with theirs to see who did more. By then, history will judge who truly elevated the university and the state more.
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