Some staff members of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) have petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged contract racketeering and abuse of office by the acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kate Omenugha.
The staff, in a petition signed on their behalf by Mr. Joseph Onu, Managing Consultant at Shield and Sword Consult, Legal Practitioners, alleged that the Vice Chancellor did not follow due process in the award of contracts.
The petition titled: “petition against the Acting VC For contract Racketeering Amounting To Public Procurement Violation, Fraud and Financial Crimes” also accused Omenugha of awarding contracts to family members in violations of the Public Procurement Act 2007.
The petitioners claim that they have concrete evidences to prove the allegations being leveled 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 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 petitioners further 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 by the Council as required by law.
“The project had gulped between N65 million and N100 million while the solar street lighting in the College of Medicine, Amaku, Awka awarded for about N20 million in 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,” they alleged.
The petitioners also claim 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 entire university premises.
“The vice chancellor circumvented the council directive and introduced another table water named B-ORIENT Table water and gave it monopoly of the water market within the University against the decision of the council.
* Media Report