The Kogi State government has revealed how two lecturers and another official belonging to the Kogi State University allegedly embezzled the institution’s funds to the tune of N100m.
The state Auditor-General, Hon Yusuf Okala explained that the fraud was discovered by his screening committee on the course of their assignment.
He made the revelation when governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello visited the University to discuss various issues affecting the institution and on how to reposition the school for greatness.
Okala, who was the head of the just concluded screening exercise embarked upon by the state government said
the total number of staff of the university before the screening in January, 2016 was 1,744 while 1,193 staff were successfully cleared and have been receiving their salaries.
Okala said 337 staff were on uncleared list but that out of that number, 161 were given clemency by the government.
He further disclosed that 63 staff had no record, while staff with issue of age disparity totaling 110 were part of those clemency was given.
He said six staff were identified as ‘diaspora civil servants’, while another 6 were found to have been collecting salary from double sources.
Okala put the salary wage bill of the University as at January 2016 to be one hundred and ninety four million, three hundred and eighty four thousand, four hundred and fifty naira, fifty kobo (N194, 384,450.50) per month, which will amount to two billion, three hundred and thirty two million, six hundred and twelve thousand, nine hundred and eighty six naira (N2, 332,612,986) annually.
Among those that received double salaries, Okala alleged are “a 34-year-old Mrs Adishetu Usman, a native of Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State was employed by Dekina LGA on the 1st of June, 2006 as an adult instructor on grade level 3 and has grown to a grade level 6 as at January 2016.
“Thereafter, as at 2nd June 2014, she was employed by the Kogi State University as a chief porter in the registry department and did not resign her first appointment with the LG. Mrs Adishetu claimed she has hence been working for both Dekina local government and Kogi State University since June 2016 and has been collecting salaries from both LG and the state governments.
“Her monthly salary at Dekina LGA was Nineteen Thousand, Six hundred and Twenty Nine, Sixty Eight Kobo (N19,629.68) while Thirty Two Thousand, Six Hundred and Nine Naira (N32,609) was her salary at the university.”
Another person that fell into Okala’s dragnet was Dr.Solomon Olabode Adebayo, a lecturer 1 in Kogi State University, who was allegedly discovered to be receiving double salary between March 2012 and 2015.
According to Okala, “Adebayo was purported to have resigned from the Teaching Service Commission (T.S.C) in 2012 and took appointment in Kogi State University according to his concessionary statement.
“He was aided by a staff of his former organization by name Mr. Oshadari in other to remain on the payroll of the Teaching Service Commission where he no longer works. He and his accomplice share the proceeds of the dubious act on monthly basis.
“The duo have made a huge sum of money from the government until the screening exercise took place in 2016.
Prior to the screening exercise he was earning One hundred and Ninety Seven Thousand (N197, 000) per month from March 2013 to March 2016 which makes a total sum of Seven Million, Ninety Two Thousand Naira (N4,728,000) he and his accomplice embezzled.”
Mr Usman Momoh was alleged to have defrauded the state government to the tune of Ninety Eight Million Naira while serving as pay officer at the College of Education Technical, Kabba before he gained employment as a lecturer in Kogi State University.
Okala added that “Mr Momoh, after preparing the schedule will add fictitious names on the payroll with fake account numbers which he will latter withdraw with the connivance with bank officials.”
