Association of Nigerian Scholars in the Diaspora: a clarification

[Toyin Falola]

In Toronto, words came that the impression in Abuja is that hundreds of us, including many on the Dialogue, are members.

In transit, I was told that the scholars meet regularly to review the country’s progress.

I don’t know whether this is the same organization that Dr Kperogi is talking about.

If so, the Association has to change its name. If not, a miscommunication may tarnish innocent people.

I was told that a group in Toronto wants to sue the Association for including them as members.
TF

Sent from my iPhone

[Michael Afolayan]

Folks:

Seriously, if it can be established that this organization is a duo effort, I think there is a strong case for blatant misrepresentation against it if it continues to speak for Nigerians in the Diaspora. I'm convinced that a Cease and Desist (C & D) letter would be in order at this point and could be sent to the group if it has an address. I believe there is a newly commissioned Nigeria Diaspora Committee in the Nigerian Senate with one Hon. Abike Dabiri as its Chairperson, and Ms. Dabiri and her committee could be copied with the proposed letter. 

The question is who does the writing of such C & D letter when in reality there is no formal Diaspora organization for Nigerian scholars? A lone legal effort as suggested by Farooq might be daunting and expensive with limited hope of success granted its lacking a strong locus standi. Ojogbon TF is a well known face as moderator of the USA-Africa Dialogue listserv, the closest to an organized informal marketplace of ideas among Nigerian/African scholars. Could he put together a few individuals to investigate this matter and release the said C & D within one week or two, at most? Could there be an open letter signed by all interested Nigerians abroad disclaiming the duo effort and publishing it on online fora? 

I just pity the lone crusade effort of Farooq Kperogi. Of course, as the cliché goes, it's a dirty job and someone's got to do it, but I think it's time more hands get on deck. That way, the matter becomes a corporate burden, not a cumbersome load heaved on one man's head.

Just my own thinking . . . 

Michael O. Afoláyan

On Friday, June 7, 2019, 11:54:45 PM GMT+1, Farooq A. Kperogi <farooq...@gmail.com> wrote:

Oga Falola,

It is the same "organization," which is more properly a dyad, as I've pointed out several times here. It is precisely because the group calls itself the "umbrella association of Nigerian scholars in the diaspora" that people reached out to me to find out if the "group" speaks for me since its unfailingly perpetual pro-regime stances are diametrically opposed to mine-- and to that of many diasporan Nigerian scholars.

I'll lend whatever support I can give to people who will seek legal redress from the two people who are scamming the Nigerian people into believing that they speak for me--and for other diasporan scholars who don't share their pro-regime propaganda. In fact, if no one proceeds with the threat to sue them, I will.

I'm glad that the larger import of my intervention is finally sinking in. I have more damming evidence against these people than I have publicly shared. I'll reveal more in a court of law since I'll be protected by what lawyers call absolute privilege.

I was beginning to lose faith in the quality of the moral consciousness of my colleagues when were quibbling over inanities instead of confronting the audacious confidence trickery and false pretenses of the dyad. 

How could anyone not see the dishonesty in two people claiming to speak for hundreds of people who have no earthly clue that they exist, who disagree with their propaganda on behalf of government? These people maligned the US State Department for calling attention to human rights abuses in Nigeria that most of us already know about. They countenanced homophobia in a previous press release, which would get many diasporan scholars in trouble. And so on.

Farooq

Personal website: www.farooqkperogi.com
Twitter: @farooqkperogi
 

Sent from my phone. Please forgive typos and omissions.

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[Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju]

So, at last Farooq's struggle agst all odds can now be clearly seen for its value.

I have often wondered why even crude dictators like Idi Amin and Sani Abacha lasted so long in their nations.

Along with the creation of a climate of fear, they had the support of various constituencies.

One of such constituencies have been malleable academics.

In retrospect, I also salute Moses Ochonu for his apology on allowing himself to be persuaded to join what has now unraveled as the significantly insincere, ethnically, special interests driven  anti-GEJ/pro-Buhari crusade and people like Ikhide Ikheloa who insisted that a critique of GEJ did not have to translate to support of Buhari, who is not better and whom history is showing to be operating at a different level of the abysmal, as a terrorist, than any leader of the nation in Nigeria's history.

May we always have people ready to stand for truth, even if they are in danger of being bruised in the public square.

toyin

On Sat, 8 Jun 2019 at 02:11, 'Kenneth Kalu' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Dear Prof. Falola,

Thank you for this intervention. Honestly, it has been really hard, very hard for some of us who are learners to understand how it is proper for two people to use the appellation “Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora” to issue weighty public statements. 

 

Except if it is now fashionable to call a spade by a different name, many of us thought people should have stood up to say what is right. Individuals can write what they want and put their names against their views. That is their business. But I do not see how it is right, under any interpretation, to write your OWN opinions and claim it is from an Association that can easily be associated with very clear and identifiable group of people. Anybody supporting such misrepresentation must know something that majority of the people do not know.

 

Thanks again.

 

Ken

On Friday, 7 June 2019, 18:54:43 GMT-4, Farooq A. Kperogi <farooq...@gmail.com> wrote:

Oga Falola,

It is the same "organization," which is more properly a dyad, as I've pointed out several times here. It is precisely because the group calls itself the "umbrella association of Nigerian scholars in the diaspora" that people reached out to me to find out if the "group" speaks for me since its unfailingly perpetual pro-regime stances are diametrically opposed to mine-- and to that of many diasporan Nigerian scholars.

I'll lend whatever support I can give to people who will seek legal redress from the two people who are scamming the Nigerian people into believing that they speak for me--and for other diasporan scholars who don't share their pro-regime propaganda. In fact, if no one proceeds with the threat to sue them, I will.

I'm glad that the larger import of my intervention is finally sinking in. I have more damming evidence against these people than I have publicly shared. I'll reveal more in a court of law since I'll be protected by what lawyers call absolute privilege.

I was beginning to lose faith in the quality of the moral consciousness of my colleagues when were quibbling over inanities instead of confronting the audacious confidence trickery and false pretenses of the dyad. 

How could anyone not see the dishonesty in two people claiming to speak for hundreds of people who have no earthly clue that they exist, who disagree with their propaganda on behalf of government? These people maligned the US State Department for calling attention to human rights abuses in Nigeria that most of us already know about. They countenanced homophobia in a previous press release, which would get many diasporan scholars in trouble. And so on.

Farooq

Personal website: www.farooqkperogi.com
Twitter: @farooqkperogi
 

Sent from my phone. Please forgive typos and omissions.

On Fri, Jun 7, 2019, 5:07 PM Toyin Falola <toyin...@austin.utexas.edu> wrote:

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/usaafricadialogue/138370717.22298.1559955852102%40mail.yahoo.com.