The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) chapters of Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), have raised alarm over an alleged plan to tarnish the Board’s reputation
A statement jointly signed by the Branch Chairman of NASU,Comrade Andrew Onakpa and the
Branch Chairman of ASCSN, Comrade Ebenezer Ayelabola on Monday, in Abuja, raised the alarm.
They alleged that a former staff of the Board, (names withheld by us) appears to be to working to tarnish the reputation of the Board and undermine the welfare initiatives established by the through various approvals.
“We assert with full authority that the allegations being spread are baseless and aimed solely at discrediting the Board. His claims that funds are being misallocated to individuals are nothing more than a desperate attempt to disrupt the functioning of the Board.
“He should explain how staff received payments prior to 2016 if not through their personal accounts, including his own. Since the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), staff members, received advances directly into their personal accounts. We challenge him to provide evidence to the contrary.
“His assertion that the Board has self-declared as a Government Owned Enterprise (GOE) is a clear indication of his misunderstanding. The Federal Government has designated the Board as a GOE through existing laws, and it is the Board’s obligation to comply with government mandates. This reflects his ignorance of governmental operations.
“While he criticizes the staff housing scheme and other welfare initiatives, he fails to recognize that government regulations do not prohibit the introduction of housing schemes for individual home acquisition in the form of grants and loans. What is restricted is government ownership and maintenance of official housing”, they said.
The two Unions informed that they were aware that the ex-staff submitted petitions to various government bodies, all of which conducted thorough investigations and cleared the Board of any wrongdoing.
These bodies, they said, include the Office of the Immediate Past Vice-President of Nigeria, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) of the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Federal Ministry of Education, the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Auditor General of the Federation.
“Each of these investigations found the Board to be compliant and above reproach.
“When these authorities issued their findings, which cleared the Board, (he) resorted to disparaging them instead of accepting the outcomes. It is evident that he is being used as a pawn by those who wish to undermine the management of the Board”, they said
They therefore urged the management of the board to remain focused and disregard the desperate attempts to vent his frustrations.
“Since his dismissal, which was mandated by the Federal Ministry of Education, he has made defamatory remarks about various officials, resulting in two separate prosecutions by the police for providing false information and defaming a police officer.
“Rather than show remorse, he continues to engage in the very behaviors for which he is being prosecuted, disseminating false and malicious information to damage the Board’s reputation. It is ironic that (x) who was in charge of five out of six divisions of the finance department during a time of significant financial misconduct, is now attempting to position himself as a moral authority.
“He did not raise concerns about the Board’s practices until he was reassigned in 2017, despite the rampant corruption that was later uncovered, including substantial recoveries made by the current management from his tenure with millions of naira including the houses presently occupied by the National Senior Secondary Education Commission in Maitama, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission in Garki and the Board’s Abuja Zonal office Complex in Kado, Life Camp are recoveries quietly made by the present management”, they said.
The unions also advised those allegedly nudging the petition error on, the desist and be mindful of the judgement of history.
