THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is investigating allegations of fraudulent employment and improper imposition of one Sunny Ewan Aigbomian, a doctor, as the deputy rector of the National Institute of Construction Technology and Management (NICTM) Uromi, Federal Polytechnic.
The allegations were contained in a petition sent to the commission by a whistleblower in the polytechnic, on March 5, 2024.
The commission’s spokesperson, Demola Bakare, confirmed to The ICIR that the petition had been forwarded to the National Board for Technical Education.
He noted that the case was under investigation and the NBTE was duty-bound to brief the commission on the outcome of its findings.
Meanwhile, The ICIR could confirm that the NBTE was at the Federal Polytechnic Uromi, on April 24 and 25, on the issue and interviewed concerned persons, including our source.
Speaking on the update on the NBTE investigation, Bakare added that: “A request for a status report/brief will be sent” to the board.
Petition details
In the petition, exclusively obtained by The ICIR, the petitioner highlighted a series of alleged irregularities surrounding Aigbomian’s rapid elevation within the academic hierarchy.
The petition, addressed to the chairman of the ICPC, Musa Adamu Aliyu, noted that Aigbomian was hastily employed and subsequently appointed as Acting Rector without following due process, which includes mandatory advertisement and a proper selection process.
The appointment, according to Okojie, was made towards the end of the tenure of the outgoing Rector, Onohaebi, a professor, to clean his alleged mess after the expiration of his tenure.
“On the verge of Prof. Onohaebi’s tenure expiration as Rector of the Institute (NICTM Uromi), for eight (8) years, specifically on July 26th, 2022, they hurriedly did a fake interview, and employment without advertisement (negating the due process) in favour of Dr. Sunny Ewan Aigbomian within two days and made him Acting Rector, a position he occupied for six months which the council chairman and our outgone rector used to cover their frauds and he continued on the illicit acts which have affected the school negatively.”
Okojie also alleged that Aigbomian was employed and given a new appointment letter in 2022, placing him at step 9 level 7 instead of step 9 level 1. He noted that ideally, he should have lost steps and levels since he was transferring from a state to a federal polytechnic under the federal civil service of Nigeria.
“Furthermore, he ought to be on probation for two (2) years before holding any office as stipulated in the conditions of service, yet he was imposed to act as Acting Rector just to cover up and extend all their fraudulent activities.”
The ICIR gathered that as stipulated in the Polytechnic Act, the appointment of a deputy rector involves the rector nominating a candidate, and or followed by a vote by the academic board constituted for that purpose, and subsequent ratification by the council.
Although Aigbomian was consequently elected by the academic board, defeating his counterpart, a chief lecturer, it was said that he did not qualify for nomination in the first place.
With the initial absence of a governing council due to the dissolution of the existing one by President Bola Tinubu, the emergence of Aigbomian could not be thoroughly checked and investigated.
Furthermore, the petition alleged that Aigbomian’s promotion from Assistant Lecturer to Chief Lecturer occurred within an unprecedented span of 10 years, which he said was shorter than the required 18 years.
The petitioner noted that he lacked the requisite number of publications and academic contributions typically needed to attain such a position.
“Contrary to promotional career progression he unethically rose from assistant lecturer to chief lecturer within 10 years instead of 18 years, he has no mandatory stipulated numbers of publications that earn him the exalted position of the chief lecturer as he is made to claim. Neither does he have the requisite seventeen published journals and authored or co-authored textbooks to merit him chief lecturer,” the petition added.
Concerning Aigbomian’s alleged rise to chief lecturer, The ICIR spoke with a lecturer from a state polytechnic, who claimed that it’s quite impossible for a lecturer who started as an assistant lecturer to make it to chief lecturer within 10 years.
“As we speak the new Rector and some cabals within and outside the school are head-bent on making him the deputy Rector to enable him cover the loophole of all traces of financial impropriety and improper placement of human capital done against the institute and the state, the federal civil service rule and the polytechnic Act of 2019,” the petition added.
The petition, therefore, called for Aigbomian’s dismissal, a refund of all allegedly illegally earned salaries, and an end to his self-declaration as Deputy Rector.
It also urges the ICPC to investigate the roles of principal staff members, including the Rector, Registrar, Bursar, and Librarian, in the matter.
Meanwhile, when The ICIR contacted Aigbomian on WhatsApp regarding the allegations in the petition, he declined to speak, noting that the medium of communication was not proper.
The ICIR had initially tried to reach him via a phone call, but his line was busy, so a message was later sent to him via SMS.
“The message you sent to me l know is an official matter and as such should be communicated in that regard to enable me to respond officially. This medium of communication is not known to Law. Thanks and God bless you. Dr S. E. Aigbomian.”
When The ICIR requested his email address for official communication as he had suggested, he did not respond despite reading the message.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M