The Authorities of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) on Monday
suspended the bursar, Mr. Peter Agi, over allegations of fraud, forgery,
and threat to life.
Following a recent protest in the school, an inquiry was set up by
the management of the institution to look into issues that led to the
protest by different groups comprising students and workers in support
of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Zana Akpagu. and the bursar, on the other.
In a letter of suspension signed by the Registrar, Mr. Moses Abang,
the management of the institution alleged that the bursar had been found
guilty of impersonating the vice-chancellor on the e-payment platform
of the Central Bank of Nigeria, among others.
The letter of suspension reads: ”In an Emergency Meeting of
Management held today, August 22, 2016, Management considered recent
developments on campus especially your arrest by the Nigeria Police vide
letter no. AB:3621/CRS/DFA/VOL.T/123 of August 17, 2016 on allegations
of fraud, forgery and threat to life, it has become imperative that you
step aside as Bursar and clear yourself of these allegations.
“Furthermore, Management observed that you have been impersonating
the Vice Chancellor on the CBN e-payment platform by making final
approvals and payments, a duty that is the responsibility of the Vice
Chancellor who is the Chief Accounting Officer of the University. Bank
transactions and alerts are still being forwarded to the immediate past
Vice Chancellor, Prof. James Epoke without the Vice Chancellor’s
knowledge.
“Again, you absented yourself from office without requesting any of
your Deputies to act for you, thus creating a vacuum in the
administration of the Bursary. Rather, in a circular of 18th August,
2016, you requested members of the University community who need you for
official business to do so by reaching you on your phone number. This
is absurd and not acceptable anywhere.
“To further compound matters, you have as well:(1) Deliberately
orchestrated measures aimed at ensuring that the University loses
accreditation of its Medical Programmes by refusing to purchase buses
for the Departments of Public Health and Community Medicine.
“This is a major requirement for accreditation and Council had
directed you several times on this yet you bluntly refused to comply.
(2) Deliberately refused to purchase official car for the Deputy Vice
Chancellor (Administration) 8 months after he was appointed into office.
You have ignored several Council and Management directives on this. (3)
Deliberately refused to purchase official car for the Dean of Graduate
School even when the Graduate School designed measures to internally
generate revenue for this purpose.
“You have consistently ignored Management’s directives with impunity.
(4) Bluntly refused to pay TETFUND contractors who have successfully
executed jobs and rendered services to the University even when such
contractors have been cleared for payments. The consequence of this is
that while other Universities are already making progress and accessing
the 2015 allocation, the University of Calabar cannot exhaust the 2013
allocation to qualify for the next tranche. (5) Illegally mobilized and
brought into campus a group of non-staff/students including suspected
cultists, some of whom have been charged to court.
“These your “supporters” violently molested staff and beat up
Journalists who were at the scene of the incident and even damaged their
camera (as stated in the security report and reported in the media).
(6) Unilaterally granted press interview on matters relating to the
University without clearance from appropriate authorities. (7) Callously
and with utter disregard of Vice Chancellor’s directives by refusing to
pay staff entitlements even when due process have been followed before
approval. (8) You were issued a query on August 17, 2016 Ref. UC/R.45A
to offer explanation on your misdeeds on Campus on Monday, August 15,
2016. When your staff told you that you have a mail, you requested for
the content of the mail to be read to you.
“Thereafter, you requested for the letter to be brought to you. You
read the letter and returned it through the same staff to your office
and directed that they should inform whoever cares that they could not
deliver the mail to you. As a follow up you left definite instruction
with the security man in your house not to receive any mail meant for
you. As a consequence, the other copy mailed to you by courier was
rejected by your gatemen.
“These actions of yours are a clear manifestation of an orchestrated
and deliberate design to bring to ridicule, the image of the University
of Calabar and indeed to cripple its progress as an institution.
Management cannot continue to close its eyes on these misdeeds and allow
the University to crumble.
“Management has therefore resolved that you should be placed on
suspension. You are therefore suspended as Bursar of the University of
Calabar with effect from Monday, August 22, 2016. You are to handover
immediately to Mrs. Atim Mensah who is the most senior Deputy Bursar
while Mr. Joseph Odum is to take over the previous duties covered by
Mrs. Mensah. By this letter of suspension, Council is being briefed
accordingly.”
Reacting to the letter, the Bursar told newsmen: “I am not aware of
any suspension. I have not been queried. I am aware of the guideline and
rules on procedures for the appointment, suspension or otherwise of any
principal officer of the university.
”I am currently on sick break and I wrote a letter to that effect
copying all principal officers. So, for anybody to announce my
suspension without the set rules amounts to nothing. I am still the
bursar,” he added.
