N26.6bn fund: EFCC swoops on vice chancellors, others
ERASMUS ALANEME, Abuja
Following complaints from the management of the Education Trust Fund (ETF) over alleged inability of vice chancellors, rectors and provosts from over 70 tertiary institutions to account for intervention fund disbursed to them, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will soon swoop on the affected institutions.
Daily Champion gathered that commissioners of education from 17 states as well as State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) chairmen from 21 states will also face the music when the anti-graft agency spreads its net to gather those sabotaging the development effort of government in the education sector.
Already, the ETF had published the list of affected universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, monothechnics, state ministries of education as well SUBEBS bringing the number of those affected to about 120.
A dependable source in the education sector who spoke to our reporter said that already, the EFCC chairman, Faida Waziri has been briefed about the problem and that she had promised to order for preliminary investigations into what actually happened to the funds released to those involved in the case initially.
The source told Daily Champion that the EFCC had promised that since the initial money was meant for specific projects, its operatives will visit the institutions, states ministries of education and SUBEB offices to determine whether such projects were executed as claimed.
The source said as at today, the cry of under-funding is clouding the actual problem in the education sector which is that of poor implementation and lack of transparency in the utilisation of money meant for the sector.
Confirming this to Daily Champion, President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Bashir Babale, said aside the earlier promise by the EFCC boss to ensure that corruption is stamped out of all campuses, there are moves to commence the fight totally in the sector.
Babale said as from next week, operatives of the EFCC will commence visitations to Nigerian university campuses nationwide to kick- start the ‘Zero Tolerance of Corruption on Campuses’ adding that the leadership of the student body will meet with EFCC officials early next week.
Also, spokesperson for the EFCC, Femi Babafemi confirmed to Daily Champion that the anti-graft body is working with ETF on the issue of disbursed funds and its utilisation.
"I know we are working with the ETF on disbursed funds. It was the issue of ETF funds that led to the arrest of the officials of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)," he said.
It would be recalled that the officials of UBEC are being detained by the EFCC for collecting N850 million from the ETF for the importation of plastic chairs and desks out of N1.7 billion. But the utilisation of the money was said not to have followed due process.
Some of the affected universities include, Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Federal University of Technology Minna, Federal University of Technology, Yola, University of Abuja (UNIABUJA), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), University of Port-Harcourt (UNIPORT), University of Uyo (UNIUYO), University of Jos (UNIJOS), University of Lagos (UNILAG), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (NAU), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike and Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun-Delta State.
Others are Delta State University, (Delsu) Abraka, Ebonyi State University, (EBSU) Ikwo, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu, Imo State University (IMSU), Kano State University of Technology (KASUT), Wudil, Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Niger State University, (NDU) Wilberforce Island, Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port-Harcourt and Ondo State University, (OSU) Akungba Akoko.
The above institutions have a total of N6.343billion funds with the ETF which they are yet to access because of their inability to account for the money they collected before now.
For the polytechnics, Kaduna Polytechnics, Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, Adamawa State Polytechnic, Yola, Yaba College of Technology, Federal Polytechnic Ede, Federal Polytechnic, Offa among others have N2.884 billion with the ETF.
Seventeen state ministries of education are also involved in the problem as they are yet to access over N2.865billion as a result of their inability to account for earlier funds disbursed to them.
The states are Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kano, Kwara, Nassarawa, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Zamfara and Kogi.
The SUBEBs that are to access over N8.898billion include Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Kano, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, and Zamfara.
In addition, 11 Monotechnics are yet to access N368.530million while 14 Colleges of Education have over N1.272billion to collect.
It will be recalled that the Executive Secretary of the ETF, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu had earlier lamented the problem of unaccountability in the use of funds disbursed by the ETF as well as the huge amount yet to be accessed by the benefiting institutions.
Yakubu had in a statement said: "The ETF has accumulated un-accessed funds of N22.6billion for various beneficiaries (tertiary institutions, state ministries of education and State Universal Basic Education Boards) across the country from allocations made from year 2000 to 2008.
"This situation is no longer acceptable as the ETF is not a banker for the education system but a funding agency fro the transformation of the sector through project management. The Fund will no longer tolerate a huge profile of allocated but un-accessed funds, more so when our educational institutions are in dire need of funding" he added.
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