UNICAL Management Suspends Bursar For Corruption, Threat To Life. I Am Still Bursar – Agi

By CrossRiverWatch Admin

The management of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) Monday after a sitting suspended the Bursar of the institution, Peter Agi on grounds of alleged forgery, fraud, gross misconduct and threat to life CrossRiverWatch can authoritatively report.

A letter sighted by CrossRiverWatch dated August 22, 2016, signed by the registrar and secretary to council of the varsity, Moses Abang with reference number UC/R.45^A and addressed to the suspended Bursar, the management said that it had after an emergency management meeting  “considered recent developments on campus especially your (Agi) 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”.

The management further said in the letter that Agi had been impersonating the Vice Chancellor in the CBN e-payment platform by making final approvals for payments and disbursement of funds, an exclusive right of the Vice Chancellor who is the Chief Accounting Officer of the institution with bank alerts still been forwarded to the immediate past VC, Professor James Epoke without the knowledge of the incumbent, Professor Zana Akpagu.

Furthermore, the letter said Agi had refused to acknowledge receipt of mails with a particular incidence being a mail of query with reference number UC/R.45^A and dated August 15, 2016 which he allegedly instructed his staff to him on phone and upon learning the details ask them to return it as he will not receive it. He is alleged to have instructed the security personnel at his residence not to receive any mail for him.

Other charges brought against him as contained in the letter of suspension include;

• Deliberately orchestrated measures aimed at ensuring that the University loses accreditation of its Medical Programs 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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).

• Unilaterally granted press interview on matters relating to the University without clearance from appropriate authorities.

• 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.

The letter directed Agi to hand over to Mrs. Atim Mensah who is the most senior Deputy Bursar while Joseph Odum who is also a deputy bursar by rank is to take over duties previously covered by Mensah.

However, Agi says he has not received any letter of suspension from the varsity’s management.

“I am not aware of any suspension. I have not being queried. I am aware of the guidelines and rules on procedures in 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 the principal officers. So for anybody to announce my suspension without the set rules amounts to nothing. I am still the bursar” Agi told our reporter.

It will be recalled that students, staff and others clashed recently as reported by CrossRiverWatch with accusations that the Bursar gave the Students Union Government president 200,000 Naira to protest against protesting staff which led to his suspension by the varsity’s management.