Tuesday, January 07, 2014

Nigerian ASUU, Others Task Relevant Authorities on Missing Professor

ASUU, others task relevant authorities on missing professor

Tuesday, 07 January 2014 21:28
Written by By Kenechukwu Ezeonyejiaku
Nigerian Guardian

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife Chapter has called on the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, governors of Akwa Ibom and Osun states, relevant security agencies and respective traditional rulers of both states to use their respective offices to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance over the past 80 days of the Professor of Medical and Nuclear Physics, OAU, Ile-Ife, Prof. James Bolarinwa Olomo.

Speaking at a press conference organised by ASUU, OAU, Ile-Ife branch at the International Press Centre, Ogba, yesterday, the Chairman, ASUU, OAU branch, Prof. Akinola Adegbola Peter, said that the disappearance of the Prof. Olomo is still a mystery and a shock, which has dealt serious blow to colleagues, students, friends and relations.

He revealed that Prof. Olomo went to Eket in Akwa-Ibom State as a Radiation Safety Adviser (RSA), to an oil and gas company on Thursday, October 17, 2013 and was last heard from on Saturday, October 19, 2013 and his way about unknown since then.

According to him: “He left Lagos on Thursday, October 17, 2013 by flight to Calabar and to Eket by road via Uyo. He lodged at Hotel Farlem, 8 Archibong Street, Afaha Ukwa, Eket and spent three nights. He planned to return to his residence in Ibadan on Monday, October 21, 2013. He was last reached on his phone by a colleague from Ile-Ife around 9p.m. of Saturday, October 19, 2013 and their conversation lasted for more than 40 minutes. His secretary, who also spoke with him around 8p.m. on the same day alerted colleagues and family members on Monday, October 21, 2013 that he has not returned from Eket and could not be reached on his phone since the previous day. Since then, efforts to renew contact with him had been unsuccessful.”

Akinola revealed that a search team comprising of ASUU, OAU branch, a delegation of members of Department of Physics of the university and the leadership of Otan Ayegbaju community, Prof. Olomo’s town had gone in search of him in Eket and were taken round the cities by its sister branch, ASUU, UNIUYO without any result.

He said that the matter was reported to security agencies (the Police and State Security Service (SSS) both in Osun and Akwa-Ibom but there has not been any clue to his whereabouts. Akinola also revealed that further efforts had also been made, which included contacting all the hospitals in Eket and beyond to ascertain whether there was any case of accident and also visited the hotel he lodged in with policemen, colleagues and family members and could not be found.

He said: “Major hospitals in Eket have been contacted and there is no case of any accident referring to Prof. J.B. Olomo. The police, colleagues from OAU and family members have visited the Hotel Farlem, Eket, where he lodged. His bag containing one native dress, towel, sponge and three tellers were found in his hotel room. The Hotel manager/attendants said he submitted his room key, left early in the morning of Sunday, October 20, 2013 without checking out and did not return. His bag was packed into a store and his room re-allocated to another guest.

He called on the government and security agencies to wake up to their responsibilities while also appealing to the general public to assist in finding him by giving useful information that can lead to his rescue.

Civil right lawyer, Barrister Bamidele Aturu, urged relevant authorities to investigate and make clarifications on the whereabouts of the professor and described as shocking the lack of any statement from the Ministry of Education, which Prof. Olomo works for.

According to him, “we are not here only for Prof. Bolarinwa Olomo, we are here for our nation, ourselves, our children and the future of this country. Under Section 318 of the constitution of Nigeria as amended, Prof. J.B. Olomo is a public servant. Now, I have seen statements made by ASUU and the family of Olomo as to his mysterious and inexplicable disappearance. It is shocking to me that the Minister of Education or whoever is supervising that ministry at the moment has not deemed it fit to issue a statement about the disappearance of a professor of Nuclear Physics. This tells you why in Nigeria we don’t take education seriously. This explains to you why we could allow ASUU strike to linger for five months without anything being done. I have a first degree in Physics and I know what it takes to train a professor of Medical and Nuclear Physics and that person is missing and there is no official word concerning his disappearance.

“I am not going to join the family in pleading; I am not going to join ASUU in pleading; what I am going to say is that the people of Nigeria are demanding from the government to make a statement, clarifications as to the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Prof. James Bolarinwa Olomo and this must be done within the next 14 days.”

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