Professor under fire over intimidation, extortion

By Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane
Tshwarelo@sundayworld.co.za

The University of Mpumalanga (UMP) is investigating Nigerian Professor Kanayo Ogujiuba’s conduct after allegations of intimidation and extortion surfaced against him. The academic is also facing disciplinary proceedings for his alleged misdemeanours.

Ogujiuba is an associate professor in the Faculty of Economics, Development and Business Studies, as well as director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubation (Cferi).
It is alleged that Ogujiuba deployed an outsider to the campus to intimidate his wife, who is also a part-time lecturer at the university. The incident, which happened on May 4, was reportedly sparked by a marital dispute over the control of Mrs Ogujiuba’s university salary.

UMP SRC president Vincent Mashego complained about the reported intimidation to members of parliament during a recent oversight visit to UMP’s Mbombela campus. Mashego told MPs that students were negatively affected by what had happened. He also expressed shock that the academic was back from suspension so soon, with no apparent sanction, after the student body escalated the matter to the university.

Responding to the students’ claims, UMP vice-chancellor Professor Thenjiwe Meyiwa said an internal probe found that Mrs Ogujiuba’s money was being paid into her daughter’s bank account. Meyiwa said the university then stopped the payments.
The probe into the intimidation claims hit a snag after Mrs Ogujiuba’s withdrawal as the main complainant, Meyiwa told MPs.

The vice-chancellor condemned the incident, saying the university “views this conduct as unacceptable and intimidatory, as it violates the safety of Mrs Ogujiuba and our students”.
The university said Ogujiuba was placed on precautionary suspension with full pay but returned to work on July 1 because its policy limits such suspensions to 60 days. An
investigation had recommended disciplinary action and noted that the matter was before its disciplinary committee.

In a separate complaint that a Sunday World investigation discovered, the professor is accused of demanding a R5 000 prize from a student who won the money through the Cferi, which Ogujiuba oversees. It is alleged that the academic and mentor instructed the student to return the prize.
Meyiwa said there was no policy that required students to surrender prizes to the centre, its director or employees.

“An investigation has commenced,” Meyiwa added.
The Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (Sedfa) told Sunday World that it had not received a complaint over the R5 000
but said it would engage the centre’s advisory board chairperson and director after this publication’s enquiries.
Sedfa has allocated R8.1-million to the centre over five years, while UMP says it contributes about R15-million annually. The agency also rejected suggestions that Ogujiuba owned the centre.

Sedfa said it initiated the programme through an open expression of interest, with Ogujiuba submitting UMP’s application as an employee with support from the then-vice-chancellor.
“It is therefore important to clarify that the concept of establishing the UMP Cferi was not initiated by Professor Kanayo Ogujiuba or the University of Mpumalanga,” Sedfa said.
It said around 25 such centres operated at universities and TVET colleges and could not be individually owned.

UMP similarly said the centre’s intellectual property belonged to the university.
Sunday World also established that Ogujiuba holds two paid appointments: associate professor of economics and Cferi director.
However, UMP defended the arrangement, describing the directorship as a separately remunerated secondary appointment with its own duties.
Given the seriousness of the allegations against Ogujiuba, Sunday World sent him questions but he declined to answer them directly.

“Kindly direct all the media enquiries to the head of communication of the university. UMP policy requires that media enquiries be directed to his office,”
He further said questions
concerning his wife and the May 4 incident were “sub judice with legal implications” and that he had forwarded the Sunday World’s questions to
his attorneys.
Sunday World subsequently reminded Ogujiuba that UMP had been afforded a separate right of reply and that the questions were intended specifically to provide him an opportunity to answer the allegations against him.

He was also asked to clarify whether his sub judice claim meant proceedings were before a court and whether he had been criminally charged.
Ogujiuba had not provided a further substantive response to the allegations by the time of publication.
Universities South Africa (USAf) and the higher education department did not respond to Sunday World’s enquiries.

Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane