This clarification is a bold relief to your friends and admirers who got worried after Silas joined in the obvious issue of intellectual theft by Phrank Shaibu. Silas is an upstart whose diatribe ordinarily should not deserve a dignified response, but because this involves the academics, your constituency, the response is necessary.
Otherwise why should one bother about a man (Silas Ejiofor) who thinks every one who bears a Muslim name or is a Muslim is a supporter of General Buhari. The Ejifors of this country do not know the history and composition of the country, so they define everything in the context of Islam and Christianity and Yoruba/Hausa/Igbo. Otherwise what is the point in bringing the articles you wrote on Emegwali and Okereke Onyiuke into Phrank Shaibu’s? Is he not defending those two simply because they are Igbos, even though the issue has got nothing to do with Nigerians’ legendary inter-ethnic rivalry?
Besides anybody who can support a serial fraudster like Phrank Shaibu is not different from him. As I write, Phrank is owing Blueprint, via an advert he placed through me in January this . An advert he placed on behalf of his client and political associate, Jubril Echocho. My investigation shows that this trend characterised his sojourn in Kogi. It is also the reason why he was fired. This man has no iota of credibility. He has no qualms denying what he says and writes with his own hands. He tells bare-faced lies. I pity people (mostly politicians who have dealings with him). And instead of redeeming himself in this case, he employed the services of Ejiofor to tarnish a well-deserved and well-earned academic and personal reputation and integrity of yours.
At this stage, my advice is that you should ignore them henceforth. They are enjoying the 15 minutes of fame that your article and rejoinder accord them.
Zainab Suleiman Okino
Executive Editor
Blueprint, Abuja
