A group known as Concerned Professionals on Friday held press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ Press Centre Jos, the Plateau State capital to dispel the smear campaign against the person and personality of Prof Tanko Ishaya,Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos who served as the Returning Officer during the Presidential and National Assembly as well as the Governorship and State Assembly elections for Nasarawa State.
Briefing journalists, the Concerned Professionals spokesperson, Barr. Chesil Drenkat said, the group attention has been drawn to a very wicked, malicious and uninformed campaign orchestrated and spread on the social media against Prof Tanko Ishaya, the Vice Chancellor of University of Jos who served during February 25″ Presidential and National Assembly elections and March 18″ Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections all in Nasarawa State as the state Returning Officer.
Drenkat said as Concerned Professionals who know and can vouch for the person of Prof. Tanko Ishaya, by the special grace of God, the VC of Uni-Jos, we feel compelled to rise to the occasion by not only putting issues into proper perspective but to counter and dispel this dangerous campaign of calumny against a patriotic, forthright God-fearing and perfect gentleman in the person of the professor.
Prof Ishaya before coming to University of Jos in 2010, was Head of Center for Internet Computing, University of Hull in 2010, having earlier worked at University of Manchester, so arriving at Uni- Jos is more of patriotism than for monetary gains and while at the Uni- Jos, the Professor’ s sole efforts attracted foreign research grants of over ($1M) at one instance in competitive research funding, from the UK Research and Innovation, UK DMI11 British Council, Carnegie Corporation of USA ,UK Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and TETFUND, NRF, Prof Ishaya contributed to securing, implementing and managing external grants of over 15 million US dollars to the University of Jos. He currently holds 4 funded research grants.
He has never been found wanting in accountability and management of funds.
Barr. Drenkat said, we therefore submit that Prof Ishaya is no stranger to money and no candidate in Nasarawa State irrespective of political party can entice, induce or influence this man of high pedigree with some paltry sum of money. We on the Plateau, cherish respect Prof Ishaya as an accomplished scholar far beyond the entire value associated with the local politics in Nasarawa State. Nasarawa State politics cannot afford the price of the VC because he is a priceless jewel with unshakable fear and faith in God in addition to his incorruptible and forthrightness.
To illustrate the characters and inherent qualities of Professor Tanko Ishaya at the same Nasarawa State, while on the national assignment as INEC Returning Officer for the 2023 General Elections. Prof Ishaya returned as duly elected two SDP Senators in the persons of Hon. Ahmed Wadada and Sen.Godiya Akwashiki and all others who duly won their elections. We as a Group challenge all or any of the returned winners to mention any sum of money they respectively used to influence the proclamation of their victory. Most importantly, he returned the Labour Party as winner of Presidential election despite Nasarawa State being renown as an APC state and home of the APC National Chairman.
Drenkat said we urged politicians who lost to accept the outcome of the elections.
