Professor Augustine Nwagbara has narrated the ordeal he suffered in the hands of Ghanaians when he had a faceoff with the Ghanaian authorities, their media and security agencies last month.
Recall that Nwagbara, a professor of English, had a fallout with the Ghana authorities after a video of him criticising the government over the manner in which Nigerians are being treated in their country, went viral. Read here.
Narrating his ordeal when he paid a courtesy visit on the Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in Abuja yesterday July 18th, Nwagbara said he went through harsh treatment from the University authorities in Ghana as he was subjected to series of interrogations by the University of Education, Winniba, Ghana.
“They said I was sacked, then dismissed, which was another wrong word to use, as you cannot dismiss some body on sabbatical in your country. As I speak with you , I have not received any letter of sack or dismissal whereas various factions of the letters are already in circulation in Ghana and on social media” the don said.
He applauded the Nigerian High Commissioner in Ghana, Ambassador Olufemi Abikoye for ensuring his safety throughout the period he was being attacked.
“But for him, I probably would have been a dead man”, Professor Nwagbara said
Responding, Abike Dabiri-Erewa commended him for speaking up for Nigerians
“We are proud of you as one of our best brains. You are an asset to your country. Not surprising that you’ve received offers from other Universities to complete your sabbatical before returning to the University of Lagos” she said
According to Dabiri-Erewa, over 1000 Nigerians have been deported in controversial circumstances by Ghanaian authorities in the last two years.
“Between January and June 2019, 509 Nigerians were forcefully deported while 527 Nigerians got deported in 2018. We are not going to tolerate any country treating Nigerians shabbily. Our stand is that if a Nigerian commits a crime, other Nigerians should not suffer for that” she said.
