Benue State University’s Principal Officers Labeled Fraudulent by Visitation Panel

Chairman of the visitation panel to the Benue State University, Professor Zachary Gundu, today disclosed that principal officers of the institution were involved in fraudulent practices

He made the disclosure while submitting the report of the panel to Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, at the Benue Peoples House.

He pointed out: “Each Principal Officer in BSU collects a Housing Allowance of N6,418,280 per annum as against N649, 939 per annum in extant salary scales. This means that for every month, BSU Principal Officers collect N534, 856.67k per month as housing allowance instead of N54, 161.00 per month. There are other instances of payroll manipulation in respect of allowances of Principal Officers especially the Vice Chancellor.”

“Council had also approved the renovation and furnishing of the VC’s Lodge for the former Vice Chancellor at the cost of N22, 398,318.00. This money was given to her directly. Yet when she moved into the Lodge, she was given a furniture grant of N20 million. She vandalized the Lodge when she was moving out.”

He said such and other irregularities at the institution must be investigated and perpetrators brought to book.

The panel also suggested the establishment of a N25 endowment fund for the institution.

“The Panel recommends that the University should address its long term financial requirements by setting up a N25 billion Endowment Fund to be raised in six years. The Benue State Government and the 23 LGs in the State should contribute N10 billion of this amount while the rest can be raised through other strategies including crowd funding and the sale of equities,” he stated.

The report covered the period of 2010 to 2015 most of which was during the tenure of Professor Charity Angya.

Governor Ortom announced the setting up of a committee to produce a white paper on the report within two weeks

Education Commissioner, Professor Dennis Ityavyar would be chairman while the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Mike Gusa, Commissioner of Finance, Mr. David Olofu, Special Adviser on SDGs and NEPAD, Dr. Magdalene Dura and her Counterpart on Labour matters, Mrs. Patricia Kupchi would be members while the Head of Service would provide the secretary.

He explained that the aim of constituting panels was not to witch hunt anybody but that whoever was mentioned in connection with sharp practices should be given the opportunity to clear his or herself as the law would be allowed to take its course thereafter.