The University of Education Winneba, UEW, on Wednesday, sacked visiting Nigerian Professor to Ghana, Professor Austin Nwagbara.
Nwagbara was earlier arrested and interrogated by Ghana Police Service. It is not clear whether he is still in detention.
Nwagbara, in a trending video, is seen lambasting Ghana for how authorities treat Nigerians and urged his colleagues to employ the Nigerian media to take up the fight.
Ghana, however, has described the video as inciting and a threat to peace.
A statement signed by UEW read: “The University of Education Winneba wishes to inform the general public that it has taken a very serious view of the video circulating on social media, involving Prof. Augustine Uzoma Nwagbara.
“Augustine Uzoma Nwagbara, a Professor of English Language, has been on sabbatical at the Department of Applied Linguistics since October, 2018.
“In the said video, Prof. Nwagbara makes several unsavoury, unethical and damning comments about our country, its history as well as its educational system. The University totally dissociates itself from the grossly irresponsible comments and condemns it in no uncertain terms.
“The University is highly disturbed by the huge embarrassment his unguarded statement has brought to the institution, the Ministry of Education, and, indeed, Ghana as a whole.
“The University, upon receipt of the video, immediately invoked its internal disciplinary process to fully examine his conduct relative to the content of the video.
“The University wishes to indicate that it has in the past hosted several scholars on sabbatical leave from various countries, including Nigeria, and same have conducted themselves with high degree of decorum and professionalism during their stay. Prof. Augustine Uzoma Nwagbara’s behaviour is totally deviant and an aberration that runs contrary to those of his predecessors or the others currently at post.
“The University after subjecting Prof. Augustine Uzoma Nwagbara to internal disciplinary process finds him culpable of gross misconduct and has, accordingly, dismissed him.
“The University apologises to Ghanaians for Prof. Nwagbara’s disparaging remarks about this country’s educational system and further indicates that the comments were full of factual inaccuracies.”
In the controversial video seen by DAILY POST, the don obviously, unaware he was being filmed, said: “They (Ghana) are using our manpower. We have an advantage that we supply to them. What are we getting back? Insults! The Nigerian community here is a bad image for Nigeria. We can take it back through the press, we can reverse.
“We have powerful media stations; Channels (TV) broadcast all over the world. AIT has a problem now, NTA does (broadcasts), many others; and there is active social media in Nigeria. Let them come look at what we have said here today. Let them come here and run documentaries of the experiences on Nigerians and blast it all over the world. In three days Ghana will respond. I have been a media person.
“You cannot be here and suffering. Let the leaders get our media guys to come here and cover what has been happening. Go to the student community, go to the business community go to everywhere, come to the embassy. Go and confront the officials with the information and within one week, I can tell you part of what is happening. I’m sorry to say it but this is within us.
“The present government in Ghana came on the grounds of Nigerian bashing. I have listened to things some of their top leaders have said all over the world, in big major places. We did not take it back sir. If we take back, they will sit up. So media strategy. One; use their own media…I have been a pressman there is no absolute truth in the media. The truth is, even history is truth as presented. Let us use our own media and get back to them.”
On Tuesday, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ghana, Akiboye Olufemi, accused Ghanaian media of ganging up to paint in bad light Nigerians residing in their country.
This Nigerian professor in Ghana telling the Nigerian community how to take back their damaged image and cleanse it if need be ???
pic.twitter.com/ksZhgfo2X2— DEMAGOGUE .?senior advocat? (@von_Bismack) June 18, 2019
