- By Ifere Paul
For most people, the crisis in the University of Calabar did not start now. Not because it is the turn of Professor Zana Akpagu to be the Vice Chancellor of the University.
The crisis may have been building from the moment the indefatigable and fearless Mr Peter Agi was made a Bursar, and he introduced reforms to curtail the corruption and leakages in the University account books.
To many people, Mr Peter Agi was just another young man looking for popularity when during his inauguration he said he was going to pursue reforms that will bring integrity back to the University of Calabar.
He actually was not messing around when he refused to indulge Professor Epoke who was the then the VC. According to many opinion polls in the Departments, Colleges, and institutes, the Epoke administration was one of the worst corrupt administration in Unical, even though it was one that completed many infrastructural development.
Mr Peter Agi refused to play poker with Professor Epoke. Calling the attention of the governing council to financial irregularities, disclosing bank accounts which only the past VC had exclusive access to.
It was due to this disclosures that Professor Epoke was petitioned by the EFCC at that time. Even though many fingers pointed to a section of Unical lecturers who were in tussle of VCShip then. In all of that, the bursar brought financial decorum and kept the Unical account books exceptionally clean.
In his role to create probity, accountability, and financial responsibility in the University of Calabar, many who did not want a change in status quo fought viciously against all decisions of the bursar. According to inside information in the matter, Prof Epoke could be one of the invisible hands that has fueled the feud between Prof Zana and the Bursar.
According to my source, "Prof Epoke thinks this is the time to get back at the Bursar through the back door because he believed to a large extent that the Bursar was the sole architect of his travails with the EFCC late last year.”
Insiders also believed that the brawl between Prof Zana & Mr Peter Agi is that Epoke made Prof Zana believed that Mr Peter Agi has taken over the control of the TSA account without due authorization. But documents shown to me by this informant shows that it was rather Prof Epoke who did not take Prof Zana Akpagu, the new VC through the required processes to be one of the authority in the control of TSA account.
Prof Epoke who has been receiving account updates from the TSA transactions as carried out by the Bursar. But he has refused to take his substantial VC to Abuja so that they could effect changes that could allow Prof Zana Akpagu access to the TSA. According to the source, “the blame on Bursar that he has been doing illegal businesses does not hold water since it was not his duty to transfer his authority to Prof Zana who is the new VC.”
However, another source familiar with the issue reported that “Peter Agi may have deactivated the VC from accessing the TSA.” This to me is a lame excuse because, the VC must have his own details and password to logon to the TSA platform. And until he shares same with the Bursar, Peter Agi cannot deactivate him from the TSA platform.
It is perceived that the University of Calabar is owning over 3 Billion Naira to the Cross River State government. There is a certain tax of all workers in Unical that is paid to the government.
It is called PAYE. For well over 5 years, the University of Calabar has not paid it's debt responsibility to Cross River State. It must be recalled too that when Governor Ben Ayade won the elections as governor, he had another candidate he wanted to be made the VC.
For some reason before now, Prof Zana has called Ben Ayade a fake professor to the chagrin of Ayade. This has angered Prof Ayade and he refused to support Prof Zana's bidding for the VCShip of Unical.
It was after the intervention of several prominent Obudu sons that Governor Ayade changed his mind to support the emergence of Prof Zana as the VC of Unical. It is not a hidden fact even now that Prof Ben Ayade does not have any regard for Prof Zana Akpagu.
For Ayade, there is a new market to explore in the VCShip of Prof Zana. “The money owned Cross River State by Unical must be paid since Prof Zana is the VC, even if he has to stake his VCShip to it, or even if it means sacrificing the Bursar.”
Prof Zana had in several occasions approached the Bursar to pay the debt. But the Bursar will not burge on the premise that the University has no such money. Time and time again Prof Zana has assured the governor that the Bursar will pay the State government.
For Ayade, the Bursar is an enemy that has to be dealt with. He does not like the fact that the Bursar is refusing to pay what the University is legally owing the State. On another hand, the fact that Peter Agi is a younger brother to Joe Agi (SAN), a man who has sworn to oath to remove him (Ayade) from the seat of power as the governor, by all means necessary, Peter Agi must be removed.
According to Barrister Osam Osam, we were once returning from Abuja to Calabar on Air Peace with Prof Zana, Peter Agi and my humble self. The Governor was in the same flight with us and was seated not far from Peter Agi. Prof Zana was seated beside Agi. And he left to greet Ayade in front who asked Prof Zana “is this small boy still there as Bursar?”
“The governor did not hide his feeling for Peter Agi who was also in that flight and didn't even bother to lower his voice. And of course Peter Agi heard clearly what the Governor said.”
What followed is the VC using his proxy, Godwin Inyang, who is also his Protocol Officer to maliciously fabricate by demonstration the allegations of fraud which has so far been verified to be untrue. The follow up campaign of calumny, blackmail, propaganda, orchestrated to defame the bursar were unwarranted.
A close source to the VC has informed me that the matter has been taken to a court of competent jurisdiction by Peter Agi. Where evidence, rather than propaganda would play a very fundamental role. All attempts to speak to the Bursar for a comment on this matter proved abortive as his phones are all switched off.
It is however regrettable, that the name of this citadel of intelligentia (The University of Calabar) is being brought to disrepute once again.
It is further disappointing that a young potentially hardworking, vibrant, and productive Bursar is being vilified in the court of public opinion through cheap blackmail and propanda. I, never the less wait for the outcome of the case before the court both at the resultant court and high court respectively.
The Acting Bursar, Mrs Atim Mensa refused to talk on the issue. According to her, “I am not qualified to talk on the matter over the phone.” Prof Zana Akpagu did not pick his phone to comment. The suspended protocol officer of the VC was not reachable.
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