Judex Okoro, Calabar

The Federal College of Education, Obudu, Cross River State (FCE Obudu), is in the eye of the storm.

The college since its inception in 1983 has faced problems of succession and series of petitions against the management.

Investigations by The Education Report revealed that the institution, which is one of the top ranking colleges of education in Nigeria and indeed the nation’s pride, is rocked by allegations of financial mismanagement.

The Governing Council of the College and some key management staff, including the Provost, Prof James Ejue and the Bursar, Mr Ushie Sixtus are at loggerheads over alleged abuse of financial processes, leading to misapplication of N125m.

Sources close to the college told The Education Report that trouble started for the Provost when some concerned staff wrote a petitioned to the governing council and the Minster of Education alleging so many things including embezzling of pension fund, some allowances due workers and high handedness.

The petitioners also accused the duo of theft of N125m from the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System, GIFMIS, the salary account of the college. None of the allegations has however been proved true.

GIFMIS is an IT-based system for budget management and accounting, meant to improve public expenditure management processes, and enhance greater accountability and transparency across its ministries and agencies.

It was also designed to help the government plan and use its financial resources more efficiently and effectively.

The source disclosed that the council and the minister were hitherto not keen to look into the matter, but pressures from some highly-placed persons, the weight of the allegations raised and the community stakeholders were enough to make the council members to investigate the allegations.

It was in the light of the above that the governing council of the college on December 15, 2017 recommended a three-month suspension for the Provost for alleged theft of N125m. The suspension will last from January 1 to March 31. The Bursar of the college had since September 29, 2017 been suspended over the same issue.

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The chairman of the governing council, Mr. Anthony Obi, further disclosed that the Provost was asked to refund N25 million “unaccounted within a three month deadline, not exceeding March 2018.”

He directed the Provost to hand over the day-to-day administration of the college to the Deputy Provost, Mecha Kalu Uduma, and urged the Minister of Education to approve council’s recommendation to restore sanity in the college.

A staff, who simply gave his name as Johnson, said: “The governing council has discovered that the Provost and the Bursar can’t yet give convincing account of employees’ contribution scheme’s fund which are more or less the workers pension savings.

“We suspect foul play in the decision of the governing council. We expect that after pronouncement by them ordering the Provost and the Bursar to refund alleged money said to be have been embezzled the right thing to do is to prosecute them. But they only asked them to return the money and go on three months suspension.

“If this government is serious about corruption, embezzlement and misappropriation of public fund, they should face the law rather than giving them soft landing.

However, a union member who doesn’t want his name mentioned told The Education Report on phone that the accused persons in collaboration with their sympathizers within the council, have reached out to some friends in Abuja to intensify lobbying on how to save the duo from further embarrassment.

Calls put through and text messages sent to the Provost’s two mobile were not responded to.

Reacting to the suspension, Mr. Justin Egba, the Information Officer of the College, said: “The case is still under investigations. Mind you that Council was not under any pressure to set up a committee to look into the books of the school. Council just looked at the system and decided to act to see how they can sanities the place.

“There were lots of insinuations on so many things going wrong so the council decided to examine some of it seriously. He has to step aside to forestall interfering in the panel’s investigations. I expect journalists to exercise patience pending the outcome of the investigations.”

Ejue, on assumption of office as Provost of the Federal College of Education in 2016, had promised to work round the clock to actualise the vision and mission of the college especially in learning, research, staff and students’ welfare as well as improve upon the college and community relationship.

Ejue, 52, and a native of Idun-Mbube in Ogoja Local Government Area of the state, was appointed the Provost, state-owned College of Education Akamkpa in 2014 from where he was appointed Provost, FEC, Obudu. He took over following the death of the provost, Chief Eugene Ibli.