How TSU Visitation Panel Members Rejected 100Million Bribe For 'Soft Landing'

•Panel Reports Says University Management Lacks Transparency 

Members of a Visitation Panel to the Taraba State University, Jalingo set up by the Taraba state government rejected bribes to give the University Management a soft landing in its report, Taraba Truth and Fact Newspaper gathered.

 

However panel in it report raised weighty allegations on the management of the University alleging misappropriation of funds, financial infraction of over 5billion from 2022- 2023.

 

The panel was chaired by Rt. Hon. Josiah Sabo Kente (Ph.D), with Dr Sallah Aboki Bambur serving as Secretary.

 

Other members include Mal isa Hassan; 

Augustine Sholanko; Musa ISTIFANUS;

Evan. Philip Munlip; Dr Joel Ebute

Sources at the University confirmed that several efforts made to compromise the Visitation Panel were not successful as the members 

 

"The Visitation Panel members where approached twice with a bribe of over 100million to give the University Management a soft landing in its report.

 

"The members rejected the money twice, also did not bow to several pressure to compromise the panel findings.'

 

The Visitation Panel to the Taraba State University, set up by the Taraba state government to assess the university's performance and make recommendations for improvement have submitted it's report to the Taraba state governor, Dr Agbu Kefas.

 

While speaking during the presentation of the report, the chairman of the committee, Dr Josiah Sabo Kente, noted that the committee have discovered lack of transparency in recruitment process, of staff in the university, leading to an unbalanced staff composition.

 

Kente also noted that the Panel had also discovered irregularities regarding the financial management of the Institution including statutory allocation and the school's internally generated revenue, which are not in compliance with appropriate regulations.

 

 

According to him, only 609 staff made up the academic staff across faculties and departments while 1,819 occupied the non academic staff unit of the Institution.

 

Kente, recommended that a recruitment should be conducted for more academic staff to be employed in compliance with National University Commission's guidelines, in order to address the situation.

He however called for the expansion of staff development program, to enhance the skills of both the academic and non academic staff in the school.

 

The report according to Kente, noted that the governing council of the University lacks qualifications, management experience, which resulted to internal governance discrepancies. He also noted that the university occasionally bypasses NUC's guidelines, jeopardizing programs in the school.

 

 

While responding, the Governor Agbu Kefas reiterated that his administration will take decisive action regarding the outcome of the recommendations of the report.

 

According to the governor, If the report indicted or find anyone wanting of any wrong doing from the management of the Institution, the school management will be promptly suspended.

 

 

The governor noted that his administration is committed to ensuring that all areas of governance is affected by the developmental process of his administration, while urging the people in the state to support the government in moving the state forward.