MY RESPONSE TO NUC STATEMENT
August 29, 2005
WE HAVE NOT BREACHED ANY LAW
By
Prof. David Iornem
Chief Executive Officer
New Idea Management Consultants
18/19, Ahmadu Bello Way Kaduna, Nigeria
Tel.: 0803 33 6047, Email: openlearning3000@yahoo.com
PREAMBLE
On August 5, 2005, an NUC Team of two, led by Professor I.I. Uva visited my office in Kaduna. They asked me about the educational services we render. I explained our mission, services and activities to them.
During the discussion, words such as “You are breaking the law” and “We can close this place down” frequently featured. The purpose of this submission is to restate the facts, which I explained to them. I have also gone a step further to swear to an affidavit, affirming these facts and as a clear manifestation of my commitment to the truth and veracity of these facts. I also submitted these facts to the NUC team in writing.
INTRODUCTION
I am a Senator (Professor) David Iornem. I am a management consultant and a management trainer duly accredited by the Nigerian Council for Management Development, the Federal Government agency responsible for management training matters. My trading names are the New Idea Management Consultant and the Open Learning Network. Wherever I say “we” or “us” in this submission, I am referring to my trading names and my staff.
I have trained and acquired expertise in the training of managers, entrepreneurs and professionals who attend any classroom lectures anywhere in Nigeria but they study at a distance wherever they may be. Managers and professionals in both the private and public sectors have benefited from these high quality programmes.
OUR SPECIFIC SERVICES
- We consult for self-motivated employed mature adults who elect to study privately at home or by distance learning to improve themselves. Such candidates maybe working towards a professional qualification in Marketing, Advertising, Financial Management or Stockbroking; or they may be working towards a degree to be awarded by the University of their choice anywhere in the world and we do not award such degrees. We also consult for students who wish to travel to foreign countries to study full time certificate, diploma and degree courses.
- Some of the concerned educational institutions have issued formal authorization and appointment to me in respect of the services we render and I submitted all these evidence to the NUC team. Some others such as University of London, as a policy, do not appoint consultants or agents in a formal sense, but they provided a code of ethics, which you are given and expected to follow. Breach of the code could lead to a public disclaimer of your services; and I have subscribed to the code of ethics of the University of London and I offer my services in line with its prescriptions.
- We serve as student consultant for University of London external degree candidates. We can guide candidates to enroll at a fee.
- We have developed expertise in helping managers, top executives and professionals to meet their continuing education and self-development needs; and we project our outfits as a “one stop shop” where you can be assisted to have access to management training courses or any distance learning programme anywhere in the world.
- We serve as student consultant for working executives and professionals who wish to study for the Open University Programmes of St Clements University, a distance learning private institution legally established in the UK self-governing Territory of Turks & Caicos Island in the British Caribbean.
- We serve as student consultant for candidates who wish to travel to the UK to study for a degree or any course in virtually any institution, but particularly at London College of Advance Studies, which offers degree programmes of many universities including that of Portsmouth and London.
- We serve as student consultant to candidates who wish to travel to Germany to study full time at the government owned University of Applied Sciences at Ludwigshafen, Germany. All the candidates we recruit have a unique privilege of working in big German companies while studying. I provided the NUC with the evidence of authorization by the German Government for such candidates to work while studying in Germany. Six candidates are due to leave for Germany soon to embark on Master’s degree programmes with the aim to go up to the PhD degree. It is interesting to note that the NUC team that visited me described my involvement in this programmes as economic sabotage.
- We provide other management consultancy services such as training, business processing improvement, marketing research, etc. In this regard, we have served many clients including federal agencies and the presidency.
- We assist distance learning students by linking them with experts in their own field who serves as their mentors for the purpose of grooming them to become experts as well. Such experts may be Nigerians or they be from other lands
- We serve as recruitment agent for Cambridge University, Judges Institute of Management with respect to their management development Programmes.
- We serve as consultant to intending students of the Commonwealth Open University, a virtual University legally established in the self-governing UK Territory, the British Virgins Islands.
- We serves as student consultant for the London training and Development Centre, a Computing and Language training outfit.
- We serve as student consultant for the Kings Institute, London, a computing and language training outfit.
- We serve as consultant to the Island University Panama and I, Prof. David Iornem, am one of the promoters of this new University being set up under Panamian Jurisdiction as a non-profit making non-governmental higher education institution that will operate in accordance with UNESCO policies an also seek accreditation from recognized international distance learning accreditation agencies.
- We have privileged contacts with several other educational institutions where we can facilitate enrollment of students on full time or distance learning basis. Some of these Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh, Portsmouth University at Portsmouth, Robert Gordon University in Scotland, Interactive University in Scotland, American Central University (ACU), and Leicester University.
- Under our Open Learning Network, we have trained over 1,200 leaders in Tivland through short (one to three days) courses targeting Village Heads, Kindred Heads, Community Development Association Leaders, Church Leaders, Thrift and Credit Society (called Bam in Tiv) Leaders and other local civil society leaders.
WHAT WE DO NOT DO
- We do not operate a University
- We do not award any degrees
- We do not hold classes for programmes of any University
- We do not make any claims about NUC Accreditation for any of the programmes, which our clients voluntarily choose to pursue. In fact, we do objectively advise university teachers who approach us for distance learning possibilities in realizing their degree objectives by drawing their attention to the unfavorable attitude of the NUC to distance learning.
- We do nothing in violation of any education laws in Nigeria as law-abiding citizens.
We affirm these facts with an affidavit sworn before Court of Law to demonstrate that we truly state what we do and that we have nothing to hide. We are law abiding and we are prepare to defend whatever we are doing, so far as we know we are not breaking any law. The NUC must be prepared to come to court to tell the court and Nigerians which law are breaking. As Law abiding citizens, who are committed to democratic civil liberties, the rule of law, academic freedom and a passion for the achievement of goodness through open education, we have no option but to challenge this needless and naked display of power in court. In fact, my legal team is already at work. We shall seek protection against this primitive penchant for illegal use of government bureaucracy in the pursuit of narrow private secret agenda.
Professor David Iornem, FIMC, CMC
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER |
