ASUU petitions EFCC over N2bn ‘fraud’ in Unilorin

By Agboola Bayo
Ibadan

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate an alleged over N2 billion fraud rocking University of Ilorin.ASUU in a petition submitted to the Ibadan office of the EFCC alleged that University of Ilorin authorities was one of the most corrupt higher institutions in the country.

The union claimed that the institution had been using the pretext of keeping stable academic calendar to silence whistle blowers, while perpetuating enormous fraud.
The union in the petition jointly submitted by the Ibadan Zone Chairman of ASUU Dr Ade Adejumo, the chairman University of Ibadan, Dr Deji Omole, Dr Biodun Olaniran (LAUTECH), Dr Dauda Adeshina (KWASU) and that of University of Ilorin, Dr Kayode Afolayan urged “EFCC to do a diligent and thorough investigation on the allegations”.
In the petition, ASUU alleged “pension fraud, fraudulent, unremitted deductions, extortion from students, contract inflation and kick-backs as well as unlawful payments to ex-principal officers of the University even after they have left the said offices and have been working elsewhere”.

ASUU in the petition which was stamped by the EFCC as receipted on 29th December, 2016, alleged that in 2011, the institution’s VC doubled the amount of pension being deducted from staff under the 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 alleged.

The union further alleged that: “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 followings TABS  of 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”?