Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has vowed to deal decisively with any officer found to be involved in fraudulent activities going on at the State Universal Basic Education Board, (SUBEB).
The Govenor stated this, on Friday, at Government House Makurdi, while receiving an interim report from the Committee on Review and Repositioning of SUBEB, headed by Commissioner for Education, Professor Dennis Ityavyar.
He stated that anyone indicted in the report of the committee would thoroughly be investigated and sanctioned, if he or she is found guilty.
According to the Governor, the impression that SUBEB is an ATM machine for corrupt officials would no longer be tolerated stressing that he will throw out anyone involved, no matter whose ox is gored.
“This is my last opportunity to stop all the fraudulent activities going on in the state. I am not going to look at anybody’s face, if you are not doing what I employed you for, I will take you out,” Ortom said.
Gov. Ortom frowned at the allegations that 20 computers were given to him by SUBEB on the directives of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, saying such must be substantiated by those concerned.
There was a mild drama when journalists
demanded that the Director of Academic Services at SUBEB should go to SUBEB headquarters and bring the 20 computers for them the see and clarify that no computer was given to the Governor. The Governor had adjourned the meeting for ten minutes to allow the Director get all the computers to government house.
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Earlier, the Commissioner for Education, Dennis Ityavyar while presenting the report disclosed that the committee visited 20 out of the 23 local government areas making shocking revelations.
He stated that the present staff strength of primary school teachers was found out to be false visa-vis the overbloated wage bill, noting that the board currently operates 19 bank accounts which was also an act of fraud.
He stated that from the findings, over 1,000 staff who were due for retirement were still in the service, pointing out that impending retirees should be communicated by writing six months to their retirement date so they could proceed on terminal leave three months to the time.
The committee also recommended that a review of the law establishing SUBEB, appointment of a legal adviser for the board, separation of procurement office from that of accountant as well as forensic auditing of accounts of the board for sanity be entrenched.
“We recommend that a forensic auditor be hired in order to audit the financial records of the board because they are too dirty.
“Also, the role of the Procurement Officer be separated from Universal Basic Education Commission Matching Grant Accountant.
“All the directors at the board should be redeployed to the office of Head of Service to be posted to other MDAs. No officer should serve above four years, we have to correct them henceforth,” he added.
