-Takes full responsibility for his action
-Agrees leadership is not measured by emotion, but by composure, integrity
By Noela EBOB BISONG
Prof Victor Mbarika, founder and president of ICT University and ICT University Foundation, has tendered an apology, following his recent outing on a Television interview. In the interview which related to the stalemate in the Partnership Agreement between ICT University and the University of Buea, UB, the Professor, according to observers crossed the line, in his claims and accusations on UB and the person of its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ngomo Horace Manga.
In a video footage released by Prof. Mbarika few days after the interview, he says, “I spoke in a manner that did not reflect the dignity or restraint expected of me, especially as a scholar and a leader that many young people look up to…I regret my words spoken in a moment of personal strain.”
He said, “What I did conveyed frustrations, rather than the spirit of respect and collaboration that I hold so dear.”
Prof Mbarika maintains that, “I have nothing but great admiration for the University of Buea… I did not have the privilege to study there… To be honest with you, I did not even have the points to qualify to go to the University of Buea.”
He said, “I also carry a lot of respect for Prof Horace Ngomo Manga, Vice-Chancellor of this great institution. To him goes my first apology. I am sorry for some of the words I used. My comments should never have cast doubts on any respect I have for you in anyway. No human being I know in this world is perfect, not even me.”
Prof. Mbarika furthered that, “I also owe an apology to the Minister of Higher education, Prof Jacques Fame Ndongo. I feel like I have disappointed him. .. I don’t think I represented him well in that interview.”
He said, “My comments should never be taken to cast doubts on any respect I have for my seniors, my authorities in the nation of Cameroon.”
Holding that he acted out of character, Prof Mbarika also apologised to the entire University of Buea as well as his students, colleagues and the administration of ICT University for what he termed, “putting them in a very difficult situation”.
According to Prof Mbarika, “leadership is not measured by emotion but by composure and integrity. I take full responsibility for my lapse and the lessons it brings. I have learned from this experience and will definitely do it differently”.
His apology follows claims made on the non-respect of a Partnership deal by the University of Buea. The said framework refers to an Academic Mentorship Agreement with the University of Buea which covered two aspects; The Framework Agreement on Partnership and The Specific Agreement. It was endorsed on March 14, 2023 and validated by the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, on May 9, 2023.
The framework is said to regulaize academic programmes, ensure administrative compliance, and strengthen academic quality under government supervision.
The apology comes few days after the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, Prof Jacques Fame Ndongo, amongst other things, instructed Prof Mbarika to tender an apology to the University of Buea following the Partnership Agreement saga. In a February 23 note, the Minister wrote that, “The Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education reminds the academic authorities of ICT University that mentorship is not a gratuitous activity. Any requests made by the Mentor University in the framework of the government-validated Academic Mentorship Agreement are entirely legal, legitimate, and do not constitute fraud. Consequently, ICT University is hereby instructed to immediately issue a formal apology to the University of Buea, through the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, Chancellor of Academic Orders, for the false and unfounded accusations leveled against this institution and its authorities.”
In a February 24 Public Notice, the University of Buea, UB had informed that, “Prior to the signing of these two Agreements, the syllabuses for the programmes for which ICT University was requesting mentorship had been examined and reviewed by the experts in the mentoring establishments in the University of Buea. Their capacity to run these programmes in terms of academic staff strength and infrastructure were evaluated. By so doing, the University of Buea exercised academic oversight and quality assurance responsibilities for these programmes…It is clear that the University of Buea does not mentor ICT University in PhD training. University of Buea had no supervisory or quality assurance responsibility over the conduct of the PhD programmes and there is therefore no legal basis for the University of Buea to award PhD degrees to ICT University graduates.”