The management and workers of the eight-year-old Akwa Ibom State University in Nigeria are said to be on a collision course as a result of financial impropriety, high handedness, mal-administration and nepotistic rule alleged against the Vice Chancellor of the crisis-proned institution, investigations by Straightnews have shown.
The alleged accusations are said to have brewed growing discontent, rancour and fears among the workers of the institution initially conceived as Akwa Ibom State University of Technology, AKUTECH but now AKSU, which was inaugurated on October 4, 2010 as a conventional multi-campus university with its main campus at Ikot Akpaden in Mkpat Enin local government and Obio Akpa campus in Oruk Anam local government area of the state.
Professor Eno James Ibanga, the Vice Chancellor of the institution is accused of running the institution as a personal estate circumventing norms and stepping on toes of teaching and non-teaching staffers without qualms.
A source in his office which did not want his name in print hinted that the vice chancellor over-charged each of the applicants N10,500 fee during the 2016/2017 screening exercise instead of N2,000 approved by the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME organised by the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB).
A staff of Bursary Department of the institution confided in Straightnews that the Federal Ministry of Education through JAMB Registrar indicted and ordered Professor Ibanga who is also an indigene of Ikot Akpaden, the host community to refund the additional N8,500 to the affected students with evidence of repayment sent to JAMB for record.
“The school collected the money from more than 6,000 students amounting to more than N40 million in excess which the vice chancellor has reneged to refund and the school has accounted for the money,” the source submitted.
“Up till now”, according to a reliable source, “the vice chancellor has neither refunded to the individual students nor written to JAMB to the effect that the money as requested has been refunded.”
For 2018/2019 academic session, Ibanga is alleged to be collecting N30,500 acceptance fee per student against the approved N5,000 per Akwa Ibom indigene in a university founded to relieve many indigent parents of high cost of fees chargeable in public and private universities in e country.
The source told Straightnews that “More than 7,000 students have so far been admitted and the excess in this case will run into millions of naira which the vice chancellor is using to foment trouble, feather his nest and plaster leakages so that he could run the institution amuck without any qualm even the state Ministry of Education, the supervisory body querying him or bringing him to order.”
In an interview with Straightnews, Elder Effiong Umoren, one of the parents confirmed that his son paid N30,500 as acceptance fee, but the school has not refunded the money to him despite the NUC’s directive.
Another parent, Rev. Saturday Ikono also confirmed to the online newspapers that his child paid the remaining amount- N25,500, but that the school has not refunded the money to him.
Another insider in the institution said “For instance, he once boasted on the floor of the Senate that he has acquired houses in USA and was the reason he and his wife frequently visit the state.
“He has acquired land and built houses in Uyo, and Aso Rock Mansion in Ikot Akpaden where he is said to be living. He is accused of building houses in Ikot Akpaden- his maternal and paternal villages- where he allegedly collects from N95,000 to N120,000 from a student per a session.
“Professor Ibanga who is said to have come from University of Uyo on sabbatical together with his wife has acquired almost half of Ikot Akpaden. He usually boasts that his family does not need anything in life after all they have enough to spare.”
“He is also accused of inflating contracts awarded by the institution. A s an arrow head in the institution, he wields unusual influence such that the council will approve what he presents to the members without much ado,” the insider added.
The Vice Chancellor is alleged to have used N30 million in purchasing two Hiace buses to SSANU which he is said to use as a tool of operation to with-hunt other unions.
It is alleged that some eagled-eyed staff members detected fraud and forgery in the management of the university’s Co-operative Society which the Vice Chancellor can only serve as a member. The society is a brain child of ASUU-AKSU. Though Ibanga became ambivalent in resolving the crisis in the cooperative society, ASUU-AKSU took the matter to a court of law to recover looted funds, yet he abetted the fraudsters by advising them to open another account since the first used in siphoning the funds was blocked by court.
Incidentally, Professor Eno James Ibanga, the second AKSU Vice Chancellor, is allegedly accused of being high handed and insensitive to staff issues in the institution, engendering discord, apathy and disharmony among the academic and non-academic staff.
Investigations carried out by Straightnews show that despite the financial reprieve given to the institution by the state government, the Vice Chancellor is using the subvention and huge internally generated revenue to suppress dissenting voices and divert much to his personal use.
A source in the institution said he acts as an emperor not as a head of institution using devious tactics and subterfuge occasioned by his overbearing posture to mindlessly divide the ranks of lecturers trained overseas and others employed by the state government, leading to their departure to other universities.
One of the staff who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear being punished by the school authority told the newspapers that Prof. Ibanga has piled up more legal cases for the university owing to his vindictive nature in sacking lecturers (names withheld) without following due process.
He is said to have masterminded the review of Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) Approved Conditions of Service dated Tuesday, December 06, 2011 without proper study by the council members and consent of the relevant stakeholders in the institution including the Commissioner for Education.
For instance, promotions of staff members are done without due process. He is alleged to have singlehandedly appointed one P. G. Effiong, retired Registrar of Uniuyo and a non-AKSU staff to head the review committee of the Conditions of Service whereas an AKSU staff should have headed the committee.
The Appointments and Promotions Committee (A&PC) headed by Vice Chancellor as chairman is plagued by prejudice particularly promoting staff and placing them on Step 1 of the new level irrespective of their previous step is a misnomer. Under normal circumstance and in order for the beneficiary not to lose seniority in the service should be moved to CONTINUASS 5 Step 9 not CONTINUASS 5 Step 1 as approved by the committee.
The original Conditions of Service states in section 6.2 sub-section (11) On promotion, the salary of the staff member shall be adjusted to the next higher level and payable on a point equivalent to and not below annual incremental rate.
However, the new Conditions of Service propounded by P.J. Effiong without approval of the stakeholders in the university which he readily relies on as a punitive weapon is obfuscating on promotion of staff.
It states clearly in Chapter 4 on Placement On The Salary Scale, section 4.2.2 An employee who is promoted shall normally enter the salary grade level of the new post at the first point of scale, provided that the employee shall not thereby earn a salary, which is lower than his salary on promotion. Where the difference between his salary before promotion and his salary on promotion is less than the annual increment on the current salary scale, the staff member should be placed on the next level higher than salary point on the new salary level.
“The purported one bandied by the vice chancellor has no date of enactment but was circulated to staff on June 19, 2016 whereas it should not have been reviewed in a hurry. He has gone ahead to implement it without the consent of the council members and stakeholders such as the university’s unions.”
The Vice Chancellor is accused of reneging in the payment of staff emoluments whereas the state government has made elaborate provisions for such.
To further exacerbate the situation, the Registrar and Secretary to the Council in a letter dated March 27, 2013 issued a letter on the subject: Staff Welfare Issues as directed by Vice Chancellor on the following staff welfare issues to be communicated to AKSU staff for their information.
- That the Governing Council at its 18th meeting held on Tuesday, 12th Febraury, 2013 approved implementation and payment of peculiar allowances to staff of AKSU, based on each staff entitlement. Council also approved 1st January, 2013 as effective date for the implementation of this decision.
- Upgrading and promotion of staff would be effected for qualified staff in April 2013
- Conditions of Service of AKSU had been approved by the Governing Council is to be handled by the Governing Council of the university.
- Representation of the congregation in AKSU Governing Council is to be handled by the Governing Council of the university.
On salary arrears, it was found that a 15-month salary arrears was not paid to 275 staff members of the university employed years ago. Though the university’s subvention has been increased to N250 million to accommodate it, the university is owing them N417,900,153.26.
On non-payment of Peculiar Allowance, the staff members complained that they are entitled to arrears of 27 months, though the university had paid six months remaining 21 months amounting to N384,600,420.78.
Already, the said allowance approved by the state government had been paid to staff members of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua in Ikot Ekpene; College of Education, Afaha Nsit, Nsit Ibom and College of Arts and Science, Nung Ukim in Ikono local government area.
On non-payment of outstanding salaries arrears to staff members on overseas development programme, the university is said to have paid uniform N2 million to 18 of the 23 trainees who returned to the country while the university is deducting the money paid to five other from their salary.
Investigation carried out by the online newspapers showed that the then Akwa Ibom State University of Technology (AKUTECH) established by the ex-Governor Victor Attah administration advertised for interview and employment.
The 2009 pre-bond trainees who applied were interviewed and qualified ones selected for overseas training on AKUTECH Staff Development programme from 2006 to 2012.
According to one of them “The state government conveyed to the trainees in a letter of September 26, 2005 payment of school fees, living expenses and other academic expenses as applicable to the Civil Service and universities world-wide to them.
“To check brain drain, AKUTECH Governing Council issued letters of appointment dated June 13, 2006 to the beneficiaries spelling out annual basic salary and other entitlements as contained in the AKUTECH Senior Staff Conditions of Service.
“On our return, the beneficiaries wrote to the Governing Council through the then Vice Chancellor, Professor Sunday Peters for payment of salary arrears and the request was promptly approved and effected.”
In a strange manner, AKSU’s council in a circular of July 2, 2018 wrote to the pre-2009 bonded trainees that they were entitled to basic salary, tuition fees, living and academic expenses, but that other entitlements or allowances were earned on performance of duty and those trainees who were paid in error should be made to refund from source over time.
In compliance with the Governing Council’s approval, Prof. Ibanga, the current Vice Chancellor through the Bursary Department started ‘illegal deductions’ of more than N100,000 being refunds of money with effect from July 2018 and the repayment schedule is to last for three years purportedly from unearned allowances and entitlements, though the trainees dispute the school claim as false, saying that the money was their salary arrears.
It is alleged that an outstanding N170,993,763.86 is yet to be paid to the affected trainees.
Others grievances of the staff are non-payment of passages for returning trainees amounting to N12,999,916.57 and delay in negotiating payment of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA)- Excess work load.
Early in 2018, the Vice Chancellor was alleged to have declared lecture free day and packed students of the institution to a PDP rally in ONNA, an action seen by parents of the students as political.
The parents, therefore, petitioned National Universities Commission, NUC, and on receipt of the petition, queried the Vice Chancellor who is so agitated in maintaining his position for alleged involvement in partisan politics.
Straightnews had made several telephone calls, text messages to Professor Eno Ibanga, the Vice Chancellor to speak on the allegations raised against him, but he has not responded to any as at the time of going to the press.
Apart, the management of Straightnews wrote an official letter entitled: Application for press interview dated November 5, 2018 and delivered the letter at Akwa Ibom State University Liaison Office, along Tony Asikpo Street, Shelter Afrique, Uyo. It was duly received by one of the university’s staffer. The intent was to hear the Vice Chancellor’ side of the story, yet he never called nor responded to the letter. A copy of the letter is hereby reproduced.
However, Professor Victor Inoka, the state Commissioner for Education who is also a Governing council member of the institution responded to his letter in a brief telephone interview.
Speaking with Straighttnews, Inoka explained “I did not attend the last council meeting of the council. Even if I were to attend the meeting, I would not have differed from the resolution of majority of the council members.
“On the conditions of service, I learnt the council presented a proposal. There is always room to update conditions of service. If some issues are reasonable, why can’t the employer and the employees agree to work together for the growth of the university?
“I heard that some allowances were paid in error to some pre-bond staffers. If the university wrongly paid them then the university has the right to recover the money. I learnt there will another council meeting. I will attend and bring up certain issues causing acrimony between the management and the employees.”
