Some staffers at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) have filed a petition with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) regarding suspected contract racketeering and misuse of authority by the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Kate Omenugha.
In a petition signed by the managing consultant at Shield and Sword Consult, Joseph Onu, on their behalf, the staff claimed the vice-chancellor did not follow due process in awarding contracts.
They maintained that they had concrete evidence to prove the allegations levelled against the vice-chancellor.
“She has flagrantly abused her office and indulged in financial rascality through the splitting and awarding of contracts for personal gains.
“Due process was not followed in splitting and awarding the contracts for the 2024 TETFund Project; there were no public notifications for expression of bids as required by the Public Procurement Act.
“The staff biometric capturing was awarded to cronies in total disregard for conflict of interest to a company that was inactive for decades,” the petition read in parts.
The staff members also alleged that the facelift of the University Gate House, Igbariam Campus, was initiated by the vice-chancellor and her family members without input from the university’s director of Physical Planning and Valuation as required by law.
They added that the vice-chancellor, through her family members, took advantage of her office to enter a business transaction with the COOU, to sell only their family table water with the brand name KONCIO within the university premises.
“The project had gulped between N65 million and N100 million while the solar street lighting in the College of Medicine, Amaku, Awka, was awarded for about N20 million in a similar manner.
“This project has never worked in the college with the students left in darkness, the contract sum was paid into the account of the Vice-chancellor’s family member.
“The vice-chancellor circumvented the council directive and introduced another table water named B-ORIENT table water and gave it a monopoly of the water market within the university against the decision of the council.
“A further investigation and petition by a staff to Council on behalf of the shop owners in the University minimart at the Igbariam campus, got Council to once again direct the stoppage of the sale of B-Orient Table water,” they said.
The petitioners alleged that the money for the production of student identification cards, which they claimed was diverted to the cronies of the vice-chancellor, were not printed.
They faulted the call for review of the award of the 2023 TETFUND Annual Intervention, which was for the construction of the Department of Architecture building, describing it as a ploy to extort money from the university.
“These are dues and service charges generated by the Students Affairs Directorate for running of the students’ hostels and other student activities,” they said.
“Their actions clearly amount to gross violations of the procurement processes and undermine the proper administration of the university,” they said.
But, in reaction, the management of COOU dismissed the petition as an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the acting vice-chancellor.
The university’s spokesperson, Harrison Madubueze, said in a statement that the university was not aware of any petition against the vice-chancellor.
“No law enforcement agency has communicated the university with regard to any petition against the acting vice-chancellor.
“If at all there is a petition, it must not be unconnected to the ongoing process for appointment of a substantive vice-chancellor for the university.
“It must be a deliberate attempt to stop her from being appointed. This development exposes the true motives of the faceless beings behind these allegations.
“Prof Omenugha has spearheaded transformative change across various facets of the university in terms of values, infrastructure, research, curriculum and standing of the University, including community engagement,” Madubueze stated.