Prince Williams
The current travails of Chief, Barr, RT Hon, Associate Professor, Barr. Jake Otu Enyia, (KSJI), a prominent intellectual, a politician full of dexterity, aura, conviviality, empathy, panache and above all a Boki son if fighting a battle of his life which has absolutely nothing to do with his academic qualifications, method of recruitment into the University of Calabar nor alleged prolonged leave of absence as misconstrued. His ordeal is purely a political muscles flexing, a product of administrative rascality and gross abuse of power. His predicament from a Boki woman is akin to a mother turning blind eye to her sucking child or worst still, feasting on same for perceived political gains.
Suffice to say that Associate Prof. Jake Otu Enyia is a victim of circumstance, cut in the web of undercurrent political scramble, accounting for the huge emotional cataclysm witnessed the victim.
His classical example reflects the deep animosity existing in public institutions and crass wickedness permeating the human heart.
Like Shylock in William Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of Venice’ the current ‘Sheriff’ in the University of Calabar Community is extracting a pounds of flesh from the astute scholar for not giving her speakership of the State House of Assembly with no regard to bruises nor spilled blood.
Despite repeated plea for leniency, the Katchuan born academia’s head is tragically dangling in a hanging rope for unjustified crucifixion in what began like a child’s play in 2015.
In 2015, RT. Hon. Jake Otu Enyia rounding up his second term indicated interest for a third term in office in the Cross River State House of Assembly representing Boki 2 Constituency. At the time, third term was deemed inimical to people from this sociopolitical construct in Boki. As such, his aspiration met stiff opposition from Hon. Hilary Ekpang Bisong, a major contender for the legislative position with a popular slogan, ‘Doro Fresh’.
For a political solution, His Excellency, Sen. Liyel Imoke intervened in the squabble thereby paving way for emergence of Hon. Hilary Ekpang Bisong in the state Assembly for the first time, highlighting the advent of ‘fresh’ air as clamored for.
Fast track to 2023, RT. Hon. Bisong broke the political jinx himself with his declaration for a third term hitherto believed to be moral bankruptcy and unethical disposition to Boki 2 State Constituency polity. Despite the backlash that greeted this shift of ideology, RT. Hon. Jake Otu Enyia during his grand endorsement of Hon. Victor Abang for Ikom/Boki Federal Constituency at St. Mary Quasi Parish in Katchuan-Irruan, Boki Local Government Area, in the spirit of sportsmanship and party loyalty emphatically extended an Olive branch to RT. Hon. Bisong in the presence of Parishioners and God. Though this move of peace building was greeted with mixed reactions from Otu Enyia’s legion of followers who felt betrayed by the Agba born Lawmaker’s decision to admire what he once passionately hated.
Chief Otu Enyia after the vote of confidence nonetheless moved a step further in pacification climaxing a door to door sensitization. Today, the history of APC triumph in Boki 2 in the 2023 House of Assembly election is not complete without credence to Buda and Bunyia/Okubuchi wards respectively with Chief Otu Enyia as ward Controller. Rather than compensate his hard work or at best allow the sleeping dog rest, he is been vilified with unfounded petitions and compromised disciplinary committees made up of cronies of his benefactors.
Associate Professor. Jake Otu Enyia is been accused of denying RT. Hon. Hilary Ekpang Bisong Speakership position in the Cross River State House of Assembly, whereas House leadership is solely determined by elected Members.
To put things in perspective, shortly after the speakership brouhaha, Professor. Florence Banku Obi refused assessing the research work of Associate Professor. Jake Otu Enyia for promotion to the rank of Professor. When prevailed upon by Prof. Cyril Ndifon, then Dean of Law Faculty, the VC stressed that Associate Professor. Jake Otu Enyia was not craving for Professorship but ‘Speaker’ of the Cross River State House of Assembly.
Despite Associate Professor Jake Otu Enyia’s determination to contribute to scholarship with pro-bono services at no cost to the University of Calabar, Professor Florence Obi vehemently rejected his mouthwatering offer. To justify her preparedness to terminate Otu Enyia’s appointment with the University of Calabar, the VC instructed Dr. Mike Otu, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Law who doubles as her kinsman from Bansan-Osokom to re-allocate Associate Professor Jake Otu Enyia’s office to another lecturer.
It should be noted that the said office was personally restructured and furnished with state of the art learning materials and conducive environment, a feat commended and described by NUC and Council of Legal Education visiting team during their post-accreditation visit as model for lecturers.
Recalled that when Unical current Vice Chancellor, Professor Florence Banku Obi was appointed Commissioner for Women Affairs in the reigns of His Excellency, Donald Duke, she wasn’t deprived her office during the period under review.
Meanwhile, acting on the strength of a sponsored petition to her ‘court’ from Joseph Osibu allegedly said to be compensated with a contract to renovate the University Botanical garden, she horridly constituted a committee of cronies to indict Associate Professor Jake Otu Enyia with intent to terminate his appointment. Ironically, a Committee whose report has not been revealed to the accused is according to sources privy allegedly doctored by the Chairman, Professor Eucharia Nwabara under the VC supervision to be forwarded to the University Council with a view to sack Associate Professor Otu Enyia.
Among numerous questions on the lips of observers following this trend of emotional cruelty are, how many Committee members signed the said report? What were their findings? Was Associate Professor Jake Otu Enyia culpable in the report? Why should the VC put herself as both the accuser, the investigator and a judge in her own case?
Others are curious to know why are the people of Boki including the Traditional rulers, especially the Paramount ruler, Boki General Assembly, an apex sociocultural group and prominent Cross Riverians silent in the face of gross injustice and oppression of her own.
It is however instructive to note that Associate Professor Jake Otu Enyia was employed into the University of Calabar by Professor James Epoke, an Abi man who meticulously followed due process during the exercise, promoted to the rank of Associate Professor by Professor Zana Akpagu, an Obudu man who rewarded hard work and now having his cherished appointment almost bastardized by his own mother from Boki.
Some query why should Professor Florence Obi drift from her responsibility of breeding a generation of values for mere partisan politics? One expects her to concentrate on taking University of Calabar to a higher pedestal in the world map before exiting office in four months to come.
In essence, playing ‘god’ never helps including desperate attempts by the Pharaohs to forcefully cross the Red Sea in chase of the Israelites. I
n equal proportion, vain plots to terminate appointment of Associate Professor Jake Otu Enyia whom the current regime never employed would fall like the walls of Jericho.