PORT HHARCOURT/Nigeria: A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has strongly criticised the management of the University of Abuja for inviting Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to speak at the institution’s Faculty of Social Science Personality Lecture Series, describing the decision as misguided and inappropriate.
In a statement issued Monday, Eze acknowledged that universities reserve the right to invite any notable Nigerian to deliver lectures but insisted that such invitations should follow careful scrutiny of the invitee’s public record, conduct and moral standing, especially given what he described as the fragile state of Nigeria’s education sector.
The APC chieftain argued that academic institutions should remain sanctuaries of intellectual integrity and should not provide platforms, in his words, for individuals whose public conduct could undermine the values universities are expected to promote. He alleged that inviting Wike sent the wrong message to students and the wider public about standards of leadership and public accountability.
Eze further faulted the minister’s lecture appearance, claiming it deviated from its academic purpose and veered into political commentary, including remarks directed at former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. He described the development as disappointing and unbefitting of a university forum meant for intellectual discourse and policy reflection.
He also accused the university authorities of failing to uphold the dignity of the academic environment by allowing what he termed politically charged rhetoric at an event intended to provide insight and solutions to national challenges. According to him, such occurrences risk eroding public confidence in higher institutions as neutral grounds for scholarship and constructive debate.
Eze therefore called on the university management to tender an apology to Nigerians, maintaining that academic platforms should be reserved for personalities whose engagements inspire scholarship, national unity and responsible leadership rather than controversy.
