Wednesday 22 February 2017

Group Commend University Of Calabar Vice Chancellor For Discipline, Dedication And Transparent Leadership



The Transparency Initiative Nigeria has commended the Discipline, Dedication and Transparent leadership style of the University of Calabar Vice Chancellor, Prof. Zana Akpagu.
At a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the Media and Communication Director of Transparency Initiative Nigeria, Comrade Solomon Adodo said that Prof. Zana Akpagu deserves commendation as an internal whistleblower for refusing to cooperate with or condone the sleaze and unfettered corrupt antics of the erstwhile Bursar, Mr. Peter Agi.
“Clearly, Prof. Zana Akpagu by his actions has chronicled more than a million words can convey the true essence of the “Change begins with me” campaign of this administration. He remains a shining light for all administrators across board to borrow a leaf from in the school of patriotism and leadership, Adodo said.
The group called on the Federal Government to provide increased and special funding to the University of Calabar to enable her consolidates on the ongoing good works. Particularly, the government should use the newly created Department of Oceanography as a Launchpad to exploring the wealth potentials of Nigeria in the marine sector among others.
Excerpt is the full text of the press statement
BEING THE TEXT OF THE STATEMENT ISSUED BY TRANSPARENCY INITIATIVE NIGERIA AND HER CIVIL SOCIETY PARTNERS AT HER WORLD PRESS CONFERENCE CONSEQUENT UPON THE ASSESSMENT VISIT EMBARKED UPON BY THE CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS MONITORING TEAM
THE TRIUMPH OF DISCIPLINE, DEDICATION AND TRANSPARENT LEADERSHIP AT UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR
There is no denying the fact that education is the principal factor that propels the development and economic growth of any society vis-à-vis the standard of living of her citizenry. Nigeria as a Nation is no exception and if things must change for the better, then it must originate from our Ivory Towers. This significant fact has motivated Transparency Initiative Nigeria and her like-minded partner Civil Society Groups to beam the lights of scrutiny and attention on our educational Institutions.
In our quest for promoting transparency, prudent management of resources and disciplined administration in our tertiary institutions, our attention was drawn to the University of Calabar when a pseudo-Civil Society Group incited wild allegations of maladministration and Staff victimization (which were discovered to be entirely false, malice-laden and ill-motivated) against the Vice Chancellor of this second generation University. As a proactive Team that abhors unfair practices our investigative Team swung into action and came up with heartwarming findings that should normally hold a light to the face of other institutions of learning particularly the Universities.
Our diligent findings revealed that the University of Calabar even though a second generation University lagged behind on many fronts and did not even come close to being even a shadow of what was expected of her as an Institution. The plight of University of Calabar was only to be worsened by the appointment of an inexperienced, haughty and avariciously corrupt Bursar (in 2010) in the person of Mr. Peter Agi who made it an obsession and determined penchant to pitch his personal aggrandizement against the University’s wheels of progress.
The University of Calabar groaned in pains, gradually grinded to stagnation and soon hit the path of retardation down the cesspit of oblivion as Mr. Peter Agi transmuted into a demigod and Pharaoh of sorts holding both Staff, Students and Contractors by the jugular all in a bid to accumulate and divert the University funds into his private coffers. The Peter Agi years can best be described as the dinosaur-locust era as he gave no heed to reason rather than random abuse of University rules, appropriation/procurement processes and relegated transparency to the back seat.
To our utter dismay we further gathered from contractors, that Mr. Peter Agi was in the habit of sitting on funds approved for payment to contractors – definitely with sinister pecuniary intentions – and this stalled major construction projects which should have further etched the University up the ladder of academic glory and acclaim. The Joint Council/Senate Committee Investigation report further revealed that Mr. Peter Agi compromised the University of Calabar fees payment portal and in the process over Two Hundred Million naira remains untraced till date. Furthermore, in an attempt to conserve and divert funds Mr. Agi deprived several Departments of the University of Funds needed for procurement of critical equipment and projects thus these deprived Departments failed to meet the NUC standards for accreditation. All these acts of impunity, Council/Senate Committee and his appointment was duly terminated in consonance with due process paving way for accelerated progress in the University.
At this juncture we must reflect that recently the Media was suffused with all forms of negative news aimed at tarnishing the unimpeachable reputation of the University of Calabar Vice Chancellor and casting the image of the University in bad light. These needless Media blackmail against the Change compliant UniCal are sponsored work of the erstwhile Bursar Mr. Peter Agi who had single handedly hijacked the University funds until his appointment was terminated. It should be known that Mr. Agi failed to explore avenues for internal dispute resolution and resorted to using faceless groups to fight against the wind of progress that is sweeping across the University of Calabar. Within a short while Mr. Agi had used his position as Bursar to feather his nest and acquire several posh cars, outlandish mansions and choice properties across the nation. We thus call for even sterner sanctions on Mr. Agi to enable the University recover the funds which Mr. Agi looted.
Prof. Zana Akpagu deserves commendation as an internal whistleblower for refusing to cooperate with or condone the sleaze and unfettered corrupt antics of the erstwhile Bursar. Clearly, Prof. Zana Akpagu by his actions has chronicled more than a million words can convey the true essence of the “Change begins with me” campaign of this administration. He remains a shining light for all administrators across board to borrow a leaf from in the school of patriotism and leadership.
On assumption of Office, Prof. Akpagu embarked on the inspection of all TETFund projects within the University which were in a state of abandonment. After due assessment, the administration immediately swung into action and injected the TETFund budget (which the erstwhile Bursar had kept idle) into critical projects. Thus within two months the Faculty of Dentistry Building was commenced and completed while the Faculty of Medicine now also has an ultra-modern massive building newly built to cater to her learning needs. Other projects which had been complete or were under construction include:
  • Reconstructed University gate house with CCTV and LED Billboard for enhanced security.
  • Ultra-modern car park to cater for influx of visitors and ease traffic during special events such as Inaugural Lectures, Convocation and Matriculation ceremonies.
  • Construction of mini stadium.
  • Hall of residence for post graduate students.
  • Renovation of female hostel and other University structures with uniform painting for all buildings.
  • 120 room capacity hostel under construction.
  • Ultra-modern Medical Center for the University.
  • A hatchery for the Department of Oceanography.
  • Two boreholes with overhead tanks for 24-hour water supply to the University Community.
  • Twin lecture theater and Faculty building for the Faculty of Law.
  • Faculty of engineering building.
  • Faculty of Education building.
  • Classrooms and Offices for the Institute of Education.
  • Administrative block for academic Staff offices.
  • Dance studio for the Department of Theater Arts.
  • Media Arts studios for Mass Communication Department.
  • 500-seat twin lecture pavilion.
  • Refurbishment of all Science laboratories and supply with gas from a centralized system.
  • Faculty of Sciences building presently undergoing construction.
A paradoxical phenomenon which the current Vice Chancellor set out to correct was the open insult that dwarfed UniCal before other second generation Universities to wit the absence of critical Faculties and Departments. The University now boast of a Faculty of Engineering with full accreditation, the Department of Music, Tourism and Oceanography have also come onboard with the first set of students matriculated. Thus breaking a jinx of several decades.
Perhaps the unparalleled devotion of Prof. Zana Akpagu to changing University of Calabar for the better is buoyed by the fact that he is the first ever Alumnus to be appointed Vice Chancellor. A striking factor that has significantly helped in pursuing the vision of excellence innovation and inventiveness at UniCal under the leadership of Prof. Zana Akpagu is his firm adherence to due process, respect for other Staff (irrespective of ranking) and Team spirit.
Transparency Initiative and her Civil Society partners wholly commend Prof. Akpagu for the rapid pace of evident development to meet the felt needs of the University of Calabar community and Nigeria by extension through the training of well-rounded Graduates to innovatively meet specific industry/market place needs.
May we therefore use this medium to call on other Administrators of academic Institutions to glean invaluable lessons from the disciplined, dedicated and transparent manner which Prof. Zana Akpagu has administered the affairs of the University of Calabar as Vice Chancellor.
Finally, we call on the Federal Government to provide increased and special funding to the University of Calabar to enable her consolidate on the ongoing good works. Particularly, the government should use the newly created Department of Oceanography as a Launchpad to exploring the wealth potentials of Nigeria in the marine sector among others.
Nigeria can rise to world acclaim in the comity of developed nations if we give education the needed attention beginning from our citadels of learning.
Amb. Yomi David
Executive Secretary
Transparency Initiative Nigeria

Sunday 19 February 2017

Why We Backed Central Bank of Nigeria flexible Foreign Exchange Policy - Integrity Youth Alliance



An advocacy group, Integrity Youth Alliance has backed the Central Bank of Nigeria flexible Foreign Exchange Policy.
In a press release sent to Swift Reporters, the Publicity Secretary of the group, Danjuma Lamido said that the FOREX policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria is a measure that would promote economic growth; the group sees it as a welcome development.
“The bold step by the Central Bank of Nigeria to re-engineer the institutional framework of foreign exchange transactions in the country will engender the injection of more local and foreign investments into the country, Danjuma Lamido said.
He further said that the new currency policy is a bold reflection of the fiscal policy of the Buhari administration which seeks to make the Naira a competitive currency in international trade.
Excerpt is the full text of the press statement:
The attention of Integrity Youth Alliance has been drawn to recent attacks on the Central Bank of Nigeria’s flexible foreign exchange policy.
It will be recalled that the Central Bank of Nigeria on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 formally unveiled the flexible foreign exchange policy that would allow the foreign exchange interbank trading window to be driven purely by market forces.
The new policy effectively removes controls on the Naira, allowing increased Dollar supply that would help strengthen the country’s weak economy.
It is on record that Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves declined from about $42.8 billion in January 2014 to about $26.7 billion as of June 10, 2016, with average monthly inflows falling from about $3.2 billion to current levels below a billion dollars per month.
Despite these outcomes, the demand for foreign exchange rose significantly, from an average import bill of N148.3 billion per month in 2005, to about N917.6 billion per month in 2015.
To avoid further depletion of the reserves, the Central Bank of Nigeria opted to adopt policy actions to prioritize the most critical needs for foreign exchange as well as maintaining stability in the exchange rate.
The areas of priority included honouring matured letters of credit from commercial banks, importation of raw materials, plants, and equipment, importation of petroleum products and payments of school fees and related expenses.
The Central Bank of Nigeria was able to stabilize the exchange rate since February 2015, and eliminated speculators and rent-seekers from the foreign exchange market.
It was time to restore the automatic adjustment mechanism of the exchange rate, with the re-introduction of a flexible inter-bank exchange rate market.
The workings of the market would be consistent with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s objectives of enhancing efficiency and facilitating a liquid and transparent foreign exchange market.
It is in the highlights of the above that we want Nigerians to know the framework of the FOREX which include but not limited to:
  • The market shall operate as a single market structure through the inter-bank/autonomous window;
  • The Exchange Rate will be purely market-driven using the Thomson-Reuters Order Matching System as well as the Conversational Dealing Book;
  • The Central Bank of Nigeria will participate in the Market through periodic interventions to either buy or sell FX as the need arises;
  • To improve the dynamics of the market, Central Bank of Nigeria will introduce FX Primary Dealers (FXPD) who would be registered by the Central Bank of Nigeria to deal directly with the Bank for large trade sizes on a two-way quotes basis;
  • These Primary Dealers shall operate with other dealers in the Inter-bank market, amongst other obligations that will be stipulated in the Foreign Exchange Primary Dealers (FXPD) Guidelines;
  • There shall be no predetermined spread on FX spot transactions executed through the CBN intervention with Primary Dealers, while all FX Spot purchased by Authorized Dealers are transferable in the inter-bank FX Market;
  • The 41 items classified as “Not Valid for Foreign Exchange” as detailed in a previous Central Bank of Nigeria Circular shall remain inadmissible in the Nigerian FX market;
  • To enhance liquidity in the market, the Central Bank of Nigeria may also offer long-tenored FX Forwards of 6 to 12 months or any tenor to Authorized Dealers;
  • Sale of FX Forwards by Authorized Dealers to end-users must be trade-backed, with no predetermined spreads;
  • The Central Bank of Nigeria shall introduce non-deliverable over-the-counter (OTC) Naira-settled Futures, with daily rates on the CBN-approved FMDQ Trading and Reporting System.
  • The OTC FX Futures shall be in non-standardized amounts and different fixed tenors, which may be sold on any dates thereby ensuring bespoke maturity dates;
  • Proceeds of Foreign Investment Inflows and International Money Transfers shall be purchased by Authorized Dealers at the Daily Inter-Bank Rate; and
  • Non-oil exporters are now allowed unfettered access to their FX proceeds.
The FOREX policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria is a measure that would promote economic growth, so we see it as a welcome development. The bold step by the Central Bank of Nigeria to re-engineer the institutional framework of foreign exchange transactions in the country will engender the injection of more local and foreign investments into the country.
The new currency policy is a bold reflection of the fiscal policy of the Buhari administration which seeks to make the Naira a competitive currency in international trade.
It is our believe that this new policy will cleanse the Aegean stable whereby FOREX trading in the country was loosely regulated; while the Central Bank of Nigeria looked away when officials of government and their cronies became overnight foreign exchange traders.
Thank you
Danjuma Lamido
Publicity Secretary 
Integrity Youth Alliance

Friday 17 February 2017

Adebomi Charges Ekiti Governor To Be Mature In Utterances



A governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ekiti State, Mr. Sunday Adebomi, has cautioned the state governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose to show some level of maturity in governance.
Adebomi, who spoke on the backdrop of state governor’s press conference against the alleged refusal by federal government withholding the state January allocation and the support fund.
He said that the governor had created enough bad image for the state, than for him now to start being economical with the truth.
“The governor should be honourable enough to tell the people of the state, whether it is the state allocation or the support fund that is yet to be released and why it has not been released.
“I want to also implore the people of the state to ask Mr Governor, whether it is with the withholding support that the governor will pay the backlog of salaries or why the open lie against the federal government, “he queried. 
He advised him to be more matured in his utterances and face the governance that he was elected to do.
The aspirant, who is also a Captain in the US Army said that Fayose’s popularity was based on sentiments, noting that, the political development in Ekiti State is always in the news, but regretted that, it has always been negative to the state with the acronym, Fountain of Knowledge.
“We have to get things right in the state, since this man was re-elected; I know that the Ekiti people would pay dearly for the choice they had made.
“I do not share the view that Governor Fayose is not a popular politician, but his popularity is based on sentiments and not on any concrete achievements.
“Instead of addressing the salient issues in the state, especially in an environment where people are poor, the governor promotes stomach infrastructure, showing our people to the world as beggars, and this is highly downgrading on us.
“Governor Fayose also takes advantage of the culture of impunity to dominate his environment. A governor should not be associated with violent activities.
“Governor Fayose is a lucky man to have come a second time, but he should not take his luck too far.
“It is clear that Governor Fayose is a man of history, if not, Ekiti of this time does not deserve such a person as their governor, but he should ensure that he is not on the negative side of history.
“His first term was marred by politically motivated violence. Since he says he has changed, he should shun violence, settle down and concentrate on governance.
“The government should attend to the complaints of the workers with a view to solving them, knowing full well that this state is a worker state and no industry to rely on.
He should not have problems with the Federal Government. President Muhammadu Buhari cannot afford to engage in frivolity by taking up those who had wished him dead before now and still thinking negative about him.
“I have no doubt that President Muhammadu Buhari will not engage in petty squabbles or unnecessary diversions.
“If Gov. Fayose does not continue to promote and instigate violence in Ekiti State, he will have no problem with the Federal Government.

Friday 10 February 2017

Group Called For Investigation Of University Of Calabar Vice Chancellor



The League of Civil Society Groups has called on the security agencies to urgently investigate the Vice Chancellor of University of Calabar, Prof. Zana Akpagu for financial mismanagement.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, the National Coordinator of the League of Civil Society Groups, Barr Kamaldeen Adefila said that the financial integrity of University of Calabar under the leadership of Prof. Zana Akpagu has been compromised by usurping the professional and legal powers of the Bursar and insisting on retaining a consultant for collection of the University’s finances who blatantly refused to furnish the Bursar’s office with details of its collections and remittances.
The group commended the present administration under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari for taking on the cankerworm of corruption, which is to ensure availability of adequate resources for the welfare of the people over a very long-term.
“We condemn in very strong terms the actions of the University management in terminating the appointment of the Bursar, whose only crime is his insistence on due process in stewardship of a Federal institution, funded with tax payers’ hard earned money, Barr Adefila said.
He further said that the Vice Chancellor, in pushing this agenda, is in clear violation of in clear violation of a subsisting order of the National Industrial Court in Uyo,  that restrained the University of Calabar from interviewing or employing any person or persons as Bursar pending the determination of motion on notice filed and served on University of Calabar.
“On the basis of the and in the spirit of the rule of law, we urge the VC, Prof. Zana Akpagu to immediately retrace his steps and do the needful in allowing the Bursar to function in his rightful position which in the eyes of the laws of Nigeria  he still occupies. It is on record that despite several investigations by the EFCC, Police and other security agencies, the Bursar, Peter Agi has been found innocent of all allegations against him. To have constituted an investigative Committee despite a court process being ongoing smacks of ulterior motives on his part, Barr. Adefila said.
The group called on Prof. Zana Akpagu to tell Nigerians how TETFUND monies were spent; why he employed unilaterally and without consideration of the state of the University’s finances; why a valid court order, duly served on him by a bailiff, was rejected on 24th January, 2017 and why a collection agent working on behalf of the University would refuse obstinately to present detailed records of his collections to the Chief Finance Officer of the University.
The group further called on TETFUND to ensure that her allocations to University of Calabar were used for earmarked projects while they called on the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu to take immediate action to call the management to of the school to order.