DELSU Has Enviable Human Rights Records, Says VC

By Ben Nwanne

The Vice-Chancellor, Delta State University Abraka (DELSU), Professor Andy Egwunyenga has reiterated the university’s high human rights score-card since he assumed office in December 2019. Prof. Egwunyenga was speaking on Tuesday, August 2, 2022 at the flag-off ceremony of a two-day International Human Rights Commission/Delta State University, Abraka Campaign on human rights and anti-social behaviour.

According to the Vice-Chancellor who is giving DELSU an enlightened and committed leadership, ‘’the management of the University did not hesitate to grant the request for a partnership because the objective of this campaign coheres strongly with the laudable vision of this administration to restore the integrity of this University as a citadel of teaching, research and community service’’.

He explained that on assumption of office as Vice-Chancellor, he made it clear to all members of the University community that the administration would uphold the rights of individuals and restore all legitimate claims of staff and students where they had hitherto been denied.

His words: ‘’This pledge we have religiously fulfilled by reviewing all outstanding grievances relating to staff and students entitlements in real terms. To this effect, management, after receiving the reports of the panels it set up to investigate these claims and accepting its recommendations, promptly released those promotions that were due to staff but which were hitherto denied for years’’.

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In the same vein, the Professor of Parasitology and Entomology explained that the administration inherited a cargo of complaints from students, who due to no immediate fault of theirs, lost their studentship for being unable to complete their programmes within the expected number of academic years.

According to him, ‘’management had to revisit these cases on pure humanitarian grounds and consequently opened an Amnesty window for this category of students – an opportunity which has seen well over 2000 cases successfully granted reprieve to complete their studies…’’

’Our human rights score-card also goes beyond staff and students to other members of the university community including clients to the university some of whom were owned several sums of money for work done or items supplied to the university to enable it carry out its business’’.

Prof. Egwunyenga described the two-day campaign as auspicious and timely in the light of present wave of criminal activities among youths not only in Abraka community but also the larger Nigerian environment in general.

Speaking at the occasion, the Secretary-General of the International Human Rights Commission, Professor Rafal Marcin Wasik, represented by Comrade Fortune Afon from the Nigerian Central Office, explained that his organization was a transnational intergovernmental organization with headquarters in Zurich Switzerland established to deal with humanitarian aid, protection and respect for human rights in the world.

Professor Wasik explained that the conception of the Crime Prevention Education and Anti-Social Behaviour Campaign was a recognition of the Doha Declaration of the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) adopted at the 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in improving awareness of children and youths to prevent crime, terrorism and corruption and promote sustainable development. He observed that the Nigerian society had been witnessing an ethical decline and moral crisis as moral values which were hitherto cherished were degenerating.

Prof. Wasik expressed gratitude to the Leadership of the Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria, headed by Prof. Andy Egwunyenga for the collaboration and support, noting that the Delta State University had taken the lead in this project implementation as the first hosting tertiary institution worldwide.

Many other distinguished personalities, including HRM Ovie of Umiagwa Abraka, represented by Chief Friday Inomiesa, the Delta State Police Commissioner, Mr Ari Mohammed Ali, the National Drug law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Delta State Commander, Mr John Tunde, the Delta State Police Community Relations Committee Chairman, Mr Oliver Eyefia and others presented papers on the dangers of drug abuse and its linkage with crime, while encouraging all to avoid the twin evils of drug abuse and crime.
The Director, Centre for Integrity and Anti-Corruption Studies, Professor Franklin Sanubi, expressed gratitude to all for finding time to grace the occasion.