An NGO, the Civil Society Network Against Corruption, CSNAC, is protesting against the nomination of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Uniuyo, Professor Enefiok Essien for the award of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
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“We are of the view that the said Professor Enefiok Essien should not be allowed to further benefit from his own wrong by being appointed to the prestigious rank of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
“His appointment by the LPPC as SAN will be a huge slap on the face of the academic world which he may represent and also ridicule the current administration’s commitment to ensure sanity in our educational system,” the group said in a statement.
A professor of law, Prof. Essien was nominated for SAN award recently. In 2005, he was indicted for sexual assault and forgery by the Court of Appeal when the court gave judgment against Uniuyo for expelling a female law student, Linda Essell for examination malpractice.
Essell had told the court that the university denied her fair hearing before she was expelled.
She said that Essien who was then a senior lecturer in the law faculty of the school influenced the school to expel her because she earlier rejected his romantic advances.
Subsequently, her expulsion was nullified by a federal high court and later the Court of Appeal affirmed the judgment. The court also indicted Essien.
