By Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
The University of Calabar Alumni Association has come to the defence of an alumnus of the institution and Supreme Court judge, Justice Emmanuel Agim, over the controversy about his participation in the 37th convocation ceremony and 50th anniversary celebration of the institution.
The alumni in a statement by its national president, Paul O. Eshiemomoh and national PRO, Sir Augustine I. Ukandu, said there was nothing untoward about Justice Agim sitting close to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, at the ceremony.
The alumni also stated that Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero is the Chancellor of the institution and his participation in the ceremony is statutory.
According to the alumni, “For those reading unholy meaning to the Justice Emmanuel Agim sitting next to Wike at the convocation and the presence of Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero at the convocation, we want to state as witnesses at the convocation that the sitting arrangement was based on the protocol list.
“The awardees were arranged to sit together in the order in which their names appeared in the programme.
“Secondly, for the uninformed, Alh. Ado Bayero is and has been the Chancellor of the University of Calabar on the appointment of the Federal Government.
“His presence there was statutory. As stakeholders in the University of Calabar, we firmly state that our alma mater has done no wrong in recognising any Nigerian it considers as deserving of an award.
“The university and the alumni do not judge anyone. We will stop by saying, “let he who is not a sinner cast the first stone or continue to cast the last stone.” The alumni also emphasised that Agim is a great Malabite, who deserves, by every standard, to be given countless honours by the University of Calabar.
This, the alumni said, is because the Supreme Court judge has made the alumni and the university proud and placed the institution on a global map.