Dr. Philip Nto.
By Ezekiel Njoku
The Abia State Panel on Recovery of Government Property was during the week lauded for being firm, unbiased and just in it’s handling of petitions before it. Dr. Philips Nto, immediate past Provost of Abia State College of Education, Technical, Arochukwu (ASCETA), gave this commendation, noting that he had earlier raised the alarm that some people wanted to use the panel to achieve some sinister motives and hailed the Chairman, Justice Florence Duruoha Igwe, and the members for resisting them.
Nto spoke after the panel berated the management of ASCETA for denying him access to vital documents he needed to defend himself before the panel on petitions against him.
The panel noted that since the Provost, Prof Vincent Onwe, refused Dr Nto access to the documents, it would no longer need the former Provost to appear again.
Dr Nto had told the panel that the ASCETA management had frustrated all his efforts to access those vital documents to enable him do justice to the petition against him.
He added that he had written to the current Provost both through the panel and his own lawyer for access only for him to rebuff the moves .
He informed the panel that since he was unceremoniously removed from office before the end of his second tenure as the Provost, it became impossible for him to access not just the documents but his personal effects.
He said as a law-abiding citizen who served the state diligently and honestly first as Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning and later as Provost of ASCETA, he had faithfully appeared before the panel to clear his name against any petition
Nto, who is the current Director of Agricbusines Incubation Centre at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, averred that some people had conspired with ASCETA Union members to tarnish his image.
He said it was unfortunate that after lifting the college from obscurity and placing it as one of the fastest growing institutions with world class infrastructure and digital instructional materials, some people, out of envy, wanted to pull him down.
He expressed gratitude to the panel for resisting such people and standing by the truth and justice.
Dr Nto said that while he had forgiven his traducers, he would go to any lawful length to ensure that he protected his name and reputation built over the years.
