Suspends ATU Chairman for Exposing sharp practices
Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba, which is supposed to be an institution for technical education, has become a centre for all manners of corrupt practices.
The college is currently on fire after the dissolution of the Academic and Transparency Unit and suspension of its Chairman, Mr. Samuel Ilabor by the Provost, Dr. (Mrs.) Anene Okeakwa for allegedly exposing some of the ills in the college.
Anene Okeakwa who hails from Asaba, Oshimili South Local Government Area of the State, lacks administrative competence to lead the college.
Dr. Okeakwa, who has become an evil deity of the college, does not want the progress, growth and development of the college. She has succeeded in damaging the existing good credentials of the school.
Ripples in the college began when a petition of forgery against Dr. Okechukwu Okonta was forwarded to the chairman, Academic and Transparency Unit (ATU) for investigation. ATU is an arm of Independent and Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC), which is established in all institutions of higher learning across the country to ensure policy assurance.
The petition alleged that Dr. Okechukwu Okonta who was an ex-student of St. Anthony’s College, Ubulu Uku in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, was employed as a computer analyst (non academic staff) but surprisingly, he became an academic staff of the college.
Before investigation commenced, it was learnt that ATU forwarded a letter to the Registrar of the college and copied the governing council.
The Registrar granted the Academic and Transparency Unit approval to investigate Mr. Okonta’s official file. Upon investigation, ATU discovered that the documents in the official file of Dr. Okechukwu Okonta were forged.
It was gathered that there was never a time Dr. Okonta was employed as an academic staff of the college.
The questions for Dr. Okonta to answer are: How did he become a lecturer without any of these letters from the management and governing council of the college, no letter of redeployment from Computer Analyst to lecturer as was done for other staff in 2002, no letter of conversion from Computer Analyst to lecturer.
It was gathered that the Provost, Dr. Anene Okeakwa set up a panel headed by the Deputy Provost, which is not supposed to be to look into the allegations leveled against Dr. Okonta.
At the end of the investigation, the panel recommended that Dr. Okonta should be exonerated due to his immense contributions to the growth and development of the college and warned that he should desist from such acts.
According to information available to ZN, why Dr. Okonta was exonerated by the panel was that the leadership of the college insisted that the ATU did not follow due process in investigating Dr. Okonta, stressing that ATU would have written the governing council officially.
Investigations revealed that high level of corrupt practices have been displayed in the college since Okeakwu became the Provost.
Many things have gone wrong which includes vandalization and stealing of college properties under the watch of Dr. Anene Okeakwa.
Also gathered, was that over four years, the college has been suffering from poor electricity power supply, making life miserable for the staff and students while the provost was able to build an edifice for herself within three years in office.
Suspension and sack have become the order of the day in Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba. A staff of the college, Mr. Lucky Onwuegbuzie was suspended for three months without pay for revealing the power outage affecting the institution to the public.
It was alleged that the Provost was projecting Dr. Okonta for the position of Provost when her tenure expires in 2023.
Checks revealed that Dr. Anene Okeakwa will not have the opportunity of serving for second term because of her age. The position of the provost will be advertised in the next six months for qualified candidates to apply.
Also alleged, was the provost collected a loan of N6million from the college co-operative and refused to pay for years without being remorseful.
As a result of the problem in the school, those fingered in the corrupt practices have been alleged to be visiting homes of native doctors to save them from the mess.
Sources from the ICPC revealed that the provost has no such powers to dissolve the ATU that is not under the establishment of the college.
Also learnt was that the provost will be having a town hall meeting today, Tuesday, March 15, 2022 with the staff where she will address them on the current developments in the school.
Efforts made by ZN to contact the Provost or the Chairman of ATU, proved abortive. But sources close to the Provost office disclosed that the provost was not on seat for comments.
