The student was accused of creating damaging social media content after claiming that her lecturer was handling her final-year research project for ₦150,000.
The Senate of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has expelled a final-year student, Onyewuenyi Chiamaka Nora, following a viral social media video in which she allegedly claimed that a lecturer was handling her final-year research project for ₦150,000.
The decision was reached at a Senate meeting held on Wednesday at the university’s Postgraduate Hall, where members considered the video and the student’s statements.
In a statement issued yesterday, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Dr Ngozi Okiridu, said the Senate found aspects of the student’s account unacceptable, particularly her description of her research topic as “Citizenship” and her allegation that her supervisor was writing the project on her behalf.
The university maintained that there was no research topic titled “Citizenship” in its Department of English Language and Literary Studies.
The video, which circulated widely on social media last week, showed the student discussing her final-year research project. She reportedly struggled to provide further details about the topic and claimed that her supervisor was handling the work alongside projects belonging to other students.
Announcing the disciplinary decision, the university stated: “Senate has expelled Miss Onyewuenyi Chiamaka Nora with Matriculation Number U/2022/19900, a final-year student of the Department of English and Literary Studies, over damaging content creation.”
The institution said the action was intended to deter other students from engaging in similar conduct.
IAUE reports progress in university rankings
Meanwhile, the university highlighted its research performance, with Vice-Chancellor, Professor Okechukwu Onuchuku, reporting that IAUE ranked seventh among institutions in a 2026 ranking based on staff submissions of Google Scholar profiles.
Okiridu commended academic staff whose research articles and other scholarly publications had attracted citations on Google Scholar, attributing the institution’s progress to their contributions.
She urged the academics to sustain their research and publication efforts to further improve the university’s visibility and academic standing.
