By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU on Thursday petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan Zonal office alleging over N2billion fraud against the administrations of Professor Isiaq Oloyede (now JAMB registrar) and incumbent Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin, Professor Abdulganiyu Ambali.
In the petition submitted to the EFCC by the Ibadan Zone Chairman of ASUU, Dr Ade Adejumo, ASUU Chairman, University of Ibadan, Dr Deji Omole, Dr Biodun Olaniran (LAUTECH), Dr Dauda Adeshina (KWASU) and that of University of Ilorin, Dr Kayode Afolayan,ASUU alleged pension fraud, fraudulent and unremitted deductions, extortion from students, contract inflation and kick-backs as well as unlawful payments to ex-principal officers of the University.
According to the union in the petition “ University of Ilorin authorities” remains one of the most corrupt higher institution in the country adding that
EFCC should do a diligent and thorough investigation of the allegations.
ASUU in the petition stamped by the EFCC as received and dated 29th December, 2016, alleged that the former Vice Chancellor in 2011, doubled the amount of pension being deducted from staff under the false pretext that the previous deductions were lower than prescribed in law.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the legal minimum prescribed by Pension Act at the time was 7.5 of emoluments and the staff were already paying even above this minimum. By way of comparison, in federal universities such as University of Lagos and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife the sum of N20,124.62 is deducted from each Professor as Pension contribution per month” it added.
The union stressed further that “however, in the University of Ilorin, the sum of N40,206.42 is deducted monthly for the same “pension contribution”, adding that “contrary to law, the extra deductions did not derive from any agreement with the workers; indeed, the forced deductions were protested to no avail”.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the pension law does not empower an employer to forcefully deduct above the minimum from any employee. However, the Administration pushed out the argument, through their cronies, that whatever amount is deducted for pensions will be automatically doubled and that the deductions were therefore “for our benefit.” The import of this is that government is being made, perhaps unknowingly, to pay double the amounts prescribed by law, to the Pension Fund Administrators and the subscribers, thereby constituting an unwarranted extortion or drain on the treasury. The quantum involved in this fraud is in Billions and is continuing”
ASUU in the petition also alleged “a fraud of N1.5billion jointly perpetrated by the immediate past Vice chancellor and the incumbent on fraudulent and unremitted deductions from staff salaries.
“Having given the impression of assisting the workers by extorting more from the Treasury than the law prescribes as shown above, the UNILORIN authorities now set out to defraud the same workers by making additional deductions from their salaries under false pretext. From May 2012 to December 2013, the University of Ilorin Administration deducted further sums ranging from about N9,000 – N20,000 monthly from each staff according, claiming these to be “arrears of under-deduction.”
It added that “however, these extra deductions never reflected in the pension statements of the staff concerned to date. The quantum involved in this fraud is in the neighbourhood of one and half billion naira (N1.5 billion). In other words, these Vice-Chancellors have defrauded the staff of varied amounts over the period totaling up to 1.5 billion naira or more.”
“Our preliminary investigations revealed that billions of naira have been so extorted from the student population of about 35,000 student including Sandwich students over the past years. Many students have graduated without being given the paid for items. (The group of graduating medical students actually wrote to the authorities to demand a refund but they were ignored). The items involved in this fraud include the following:PC TABS – Previous sessions – N27,000 per student– Current session – N50,000 per student; Bandwidth (for internet) – N5,000 per student; Sweat shirt and bag – N3,000 per student, Flash Drive (especially for PG students) – N3,000 per student; The EFCC is invited to investigate: What is the exact quantum? Where did the money go? ”
ASUU however asked the EFCC to investigate the allegations and rescue the institution from the entrenched fraudulent activities.
Ibadan Zone Chairman of ASUU, Dr Ade Adejumo in a chat with newsmen urged EFCC to investigate the alleged “ monumental fraud perpetrated by the administration Professor Oloyede and the incumbent which have consistently repressed the voices of opposition against the frauds.
