It was gathered that since October 2024 when the report of the committee was submitted, the committee and the governing council have been at loggerheads with the school management.
Crisis appears to be brewing at the Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku, in Aniocha South Local Government Area following a report from a committee exposing alleged fraud amounting to over N500 million, according to SaharaReporters.
The chairman of the institution's governing council, Paul Adingwupu, had inaugurated a nine-member Staff Audit/Verification Committee, headed by Chika Ogonwa, on Monday, August 19, 2024, to investigate the suspicious fraudulent and corrupt practices reportedly occurring within the institution.
The committee's terms of reference include verifying and authenticating of certificates and credentials of staff to establish their genuineness or not, establishing if the staff members were rightly employed into the system and the approving authority for such employment, and ascertaining if staff members come to work regularly, among others.
It was gathered that since October 2024 when the report of the committee was submitted, the committee and the governing council have been at loggerheads with the school management.
The report has sparked ongoing controversy and a potential crisis due to the alleged uncovering of fraud amounting to over N500 million.
The Staff Audit/Verification Committee's report exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, observed that: "The analysis of the physical verification of staff as provided by the HODs/Unit Heads showed that adhoc staff strength as at July 2023 was three hundred and fifty-seven (357). It increased to four hundred and twenty-one (421) in December 2023, with additional employment of sixty-four staff (64).
“As at August, 2024, it rose to five hundred and seventy-one (571) showing additional engagement of one hundred and fifty (150) staff. This analysis showed that between August 2023 and August 2024, two hundred and fourteen (214) adhoc staff were employed.
"Duplication of payments exists in the adhoc pay roll chart. For example, payroll serial number 433 was paid as Obuluku Pennsylvania in April 2024. In May 2024, he received twice, first with serial number 433 as Obuluku Pennsylvania and second with serial number 465 as Obuluku Pennsylvania.
“Again, in the same May 2024, Olomu Deborah Ujiro was paid twice, first with serial number 439 and second with serial number 485. Adhoc pay roll serial number 434 and 435 (Okocha Adanma and Ogundipe Kome) were designated domestics servants and attached to the Registrar and the Bursar. They have been payrolled since April 2024.
"The designation of domestic servant does not exist in both teaching and non-teaching cadre in the Polytechnic. Adhoc pay roll serial numbers 148 and 403, Ibomor Emmanuel and Ujorode Goodluck Usiwo were employed as Personal Assistant and driver to the former governing council chairman. Like item (15), office of personal assistant is not a designation in the Polytechnic. Though they have been receiving their monthly salaries, it was confirmed that they have been absent from duty in the Polytechnic since December 2023.
“It is recommended that the appointment of both the driver and personal assistant be nullified and the salaries paid from January 2024 till date be refunded.”
In other findings, the committee report signed by its chairman, Chika Ogonwa and eight other members, uncovered that some staff members had travelled overseas without government or governing council approvals for over five and ten years.
It also found out that some retired or dead staff members were still on government payroll, receiving monthly salaries as well as those appointed as special assistants to the governor.
The committee also uncovered names that were allegedly smuggled into the payroll without any evidence of government approval, saying: "Among the payroll staff purported to be on study leave overseas, only two are confirmed to have valid approval of study leave with pay from the governing council.
“It is important to recall that following a similar staff audit report presented to the former governing council in September 2023, it was directed that affected staff be removed from the Polytechnic payroll. Today, the number has significantly increased.
"Akpovi Angela, with payroll serial number (37), absent for more than ten (10) years without approval, Akumabor Ngozi Theodora (Mass Comm Dept) with payroll serial number (38), absent since 2023 without approval, Anyaiwe Oriehi Destiny, (Computer Science Dept) with payroll serial number (55), absent for more than one year without approval, Beye Harrison Chibueze (Entrepreneurship Studies and Students Resource Centre) with payroll serial number (87) appointed Special Assistant to the state governor are still on the institution payroll."
SaharaReporters gathered that the committee also uncovered that the “council chairman of Ika North East local government, Monday Odigwe, in (General Studies Dept) with payroll serial number (400), Okonjo Emordi Herbert, (Polytechnic Library), who was appointed Secretary to Aniocha South local government council with payroll serial number (485) but died in June 2023 and many others who have left the institution still have their names on payroll till date”.
Among other things, the committee however recommended that institution's governing council should embark on the task of staff certificate as a special project and noted that: "The absent fifty-three government payroll staff and sixty-seven adhoc staff for physical verification and data capturing may be a pointer to the presence of ghost workers in the system.
“It is important for council to demand explanations from management on why the names of absentee staff, deceased staff as well as names of political appointees of government have continued to appear on monthly payroll for both pay rolled staff and adhoc staff.
"Given that government has constantly sent the salaries of staff because their names are constantly on monthly pay roll, council is encouraged to request beneficiaries of such funds be made to refund to government, all such payments made in their favour by the Polytechnic. Where staff concerned are not beneficiaries of such funds, management should provide evidence of refund to government in line with public service rule and if this do not exist, council should investigate where the funds were channeled to, and the appropriate officer(s) involved should be made to give account of such funds."
SaharaReporters has learned that the total salary payments made to deceased workers, multiple salary payments to same people and other illegal payments amount to over N500 million.
In an interview with SaharaReporters, a close source familiar with the internal conflicts and other events at the institution confirmed the findings of the Staff/Audit Verification Committee, which are stirring controversy and potential crisis.
The source alleged that the committee has deliberately withheld its report from the public and has covert plans to suppress its own findings.
The source, who requested anonymity due to "fear of the unknown," revealed that the committee, which has demanded approximately N8 million as sitting allowance and other expenses from the school management, uncovered over N500 million in payroll fraud within the institution.
The source also disclosed that the institution's governing council chairman, Paul Adingwupu, has transformed the institution into a private estate where actions are taken without due process.
"Over N500 million fraud was uncovered by the committee from the school payroll. The governing council chairman is running the affairs of the institution as a personal estate; the man is never good with money,” the source said.
“He collects money from the school management without due process. He supplied 26 pieces of computers and collected over N28 million. He collected over N10 million from the institution's coffers with the promise to supply two biometrics machines but ended up supplying only one, all without following due process.
"Since his appointment, barely one year ago, he has made the institution to spend close to N100 million on his activities. Even when he embarked on his private journeys, he demands money from the school management.
“At a point, he forced the institution to create an office space for him and that cost the institution some good money running into millions of naira. We know his antecedents when he was in charge of Project-E Delta during the regime of former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan. The entire system of the institution is corrupt and messed up.
"We call on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to come to the rescue of the Delta State Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku. For over a year now, there has been no electricity in the institution and this is an institution that generates over N700 million per session from the payment of school fees, sales of forms and other revenue generation streams.”
“We are appealing to Governor Oborevwori to set up a panel of investigation and he will be shocked what he will unravelled in the institution. What is going on in the institution is a mess and if nothing is done fast, had I known will be the last word," the source added.
When contacted, the institution's governing council chairman, Paul Adingwupu, declined comment.
Also, when reached for comments on the committee's report, chairman of the committee, Chika Ogonwa, declined to comment on this.
"Please, I am not authorised to speak on any issue concerning the polytechnic, meet the Rector. Thank you," he said.
When SaharaReporters contacted the Rector of the school, Emmanuel Achuenu, he denied the content of the report, saying, "We have addressed that matter. We have said that people who are not in the school are not receiving salaries. We have responded to that their report.
“All of us are supposed to work on the report, I don't know why they are making it look as if it's an independent thing."
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