Regent College London senior teacher and Professor of Business Management, Dr. Kohol Iornem has said that the uproar trailing the nomination of Dr. Yangien Ornguga, a law lecturer at Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University Makurdi (MOAUM) (formerly Benue State University) by his former students should serve as a wake-up call for universities to take action to improve their systems.
Hundreds of former law students of the MOAUM and practising lawyers have signed the petition to step down the confirmation of Dr. Ornguga as Commissioner on the ground that “his methods as a lecturer were cruel, demoralising, and psychologically abusive.” The petitoon was initiated by the MOAUM Law Class of 2015.
Dr. Ornguga has been nominated by the Governor of Benue State, Fr. Hyacinth Alia for confirmation for appointment as Commissioner, sparking widespread outrage by the nominee’s former students, including those from JS Tarka University Makurdi (JOSTUM), where he also taught Business Law.
“In my opinion, if lecturers are being accused of bullying and harassing students, it is simply because the system has failed to protect both the students and faculty.
“This new development should look into fixing this ‘broken’ system,” Prof. Iornem said in a reaction on his verified Facebook account.
According to Prof. Iornem, “the issue of deliberately failing a student cannot happen (here) in the UK” because teachers adhere to institution’s policy, which requires holding standardisation meetings to ensure that all lecturers understand the syllabus and the expectations outlined in the assignment briefs.
“By mid-semester, we reconvene to discuss the course’s progress and any issues related to the students we teach. When students finish their exams or submit their assignments, we provide a detailed marking scheme. Each lecturer gives extensive feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of each student’s work, along with suggestions for improvement to help them achieve higher grades in the future,” he explained.
Although others have argued that he is only “strict” and a “disciplinarian,” Dr. Terzungwe Kwagh’Aondo, a teacher with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), is urging Fr. Alia to “listen to the chorus of complaints” against Dr. Ornguga and rescind his nomination.
“The evidence is overwhelming. I heard he taught the law of evidence,” Dr. Kwagh’Aondo said.
The petitioners are demanding, among other things, that the Benue State Assembly steps down the nomination of Dr. Ornguga as Commissioner or to any position of public leadership in Benue State constitutes an independent committee to investigate Dr. Ornguga’s conduct as a lecturer, with a specific focus on allegations of psychological abuse, intimidation, and sadistic behaviour toward students, subject Dr. Ornguga to a thorough psychological evaluation to determine his fitness for both public office and academic instruction, establish and enforce clear ethical guidelines and screening procedures for all political nominees, including a review of past behavior and public testimonies, and uphold the principles of justice, accountability, and public safety by ensuring that individuals with records of cruelty, abuse of authority, or sadistic inclinations are barred from positions of power.
Dr. Ornguga has not made any public comment since the opposition against his nomination.
