Evidence has shown monumental fraud, corruption, abuse of office and violation of procurement processes at the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State.

Documents obtained by The ICIR reveal that the Federal University, one of the 12 established by the administration of Goodluck Jonathan, former president of Nigeria, has a history of corruption but the underhand dealings became more glaring under the watch of Angela Freeman Miri, the current Vice-Chancellor of the University.

Miri, a former Commissioner of Health and Education in Plateau State was among 13 Vice-Chancellors appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in February 2016 in what was a breach of the Universities Miscellaneous Act 2003 which vested powers to appoint and remove vice-chancellors in the Governing Council.

THE ICIR investigations show that the 60-year-old Vice-Chancellor, a professor of English and Literary Studies has been fingered in a number of infractions relating to financial misappropriation, fraudulent practices, violation of procurement process and other abuses of offices.

The 2017 Auditor-General Annual Report and other documents obtained during this investigation show the malfeasance under the Vice-Chancellor and her predecessor.

Professor Miri did not respond to calls and messages to her phone to answer questions on all the allegations against her. She told this reporter that she was in a meeting during the first time she was called. But she never answered subsequent calls again.

On August 3, at about 3:20 pm, an SMS asking her for a response to the allegations was sent to her phone, she did not respond while calls to her phone were not answered.

A message was sent to her on August 14 seeking an audience with her to speak to the allegations, there was no response. The message was sent at about 6:03 pm.

Another text message was sent to her on August 23, there was no response and calls to her line were not picked.

Revelations from Auditor General’s Annual Report

The 2017 Auditor-General Annual Report indicates that a culture of corruption is deeply ingrained in the university. According to the report, authorities of the university failed to remit N61.9 million, being the 25 percent of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for 2015 and 2016 into the Federal Government’s Consolidated Revenue Fund account.

The non-remittance of the fund was contrary to the Ministry of Finance Circular BO/RVE/12235/259/VII/201 issued on November 11, 2011, which directed that all Federal agencies and parastatals should limit their annual budgetary expenditure from IGR to not more than 75 percent of their gross, the report said.

In 2015 and 2016, the university generated N247,722, 407.81 as its IGR, but 25 percent of the money which is N62 million was not accounted for.

The report said the explanation offered for the non-remittance of the money by the university’s management was not satisfactory and demanded that the Vice-Chancellor remit the amount to the government treasury.

The university also did not remit N10.19 million being the money realised from contract registration, tender fees, auction sales, sales of assets and rent for the year 2015 and 2016. The amount is regarded as independent revenue, the report said.

Also, the report reveals that another N4,551,787 was paid into two private accounts from the university’s account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The team of auditors that examined the university’s e-payment schedule with reference number FUL/VC/FIN01A showed that the amount was paid into accounts of two staff of the university.

The sum of N454,610 was transferred into the Heritage bank account number 1000493514 of a staff whose name The ICIR found out to be Emmanuel Ojo Emmanuel and another sum of N4,097,177 was transferred to another Atanye Syrenius Elogun with Heritage bank account number 1000493349.

Emmanuel and Elogun are university staff in the Bursary Department deputizing for the Cheif Bursar. The report says the purpose of the transfer done on January 12, 2016, was not explained but noted that it violated Financial Regulation 713 which states that “personal money shall in no circumstance be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private bank account.”

The regulation further says that “an officer who pays public money into a private account is deemed to have done so with fraudulent intention.”

READ MORE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/fraud-ivory-towers-federal-university-lokoja/

Corruption is visible more than anything else in this country