Corruption: FUTO SSANU Treasurer In Deep Trouble |The Source

By Charles Igbo

These are not the best of times for the Treasurer of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Federal  University of Technology, Owerri, FUTO Branch, Mr Uche Nwokeji.

A colleague of his, Mr Edison Ugwumba, has dragged him, along with the late Chairman of the Association, Franklin Mathews, before the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.

In the petition to the ICPC, Ugwumba is alleging embezzlement, mismanagement, and misappropriation of SSANU’s funds by the two to the tune of N110 million within a period of four years.

In the petition addressed to the Chairman of the ICPC, titled: Petition for  embezzlement of the sum of N118 million by SSANU Treasurer, Mr Uche Nwokeji, Ugwumba accused Nwokeji and the late Mathews of running the finances of the Association without due process, and contrary to its constitution.

Not only are the finances shrouded in secrecy, he accused both officials of spending the Union’s money without approval of either the Branch Executive Council, or the Congress Members.

He wrote: The late Chairman and the Treasurer singlehandedly purchased a 2004 model Toyota Highlander official vehicle at an inflated cost of N7 million, when the market price of the vehicle was about N2.5million. In addition, they have failed and neglected to pay welfare benefits to members for the past four years.

“I was reliably informed that he, (Nwokeji), freely transfers  money from the Union account into his personal account, from where he disbursed cash.

” Last month, I was reliably informed that the Union received a deposit of the sum of N13 million check-out dues acruable to the Union, as deducted by the Federal Government, vide IPPIS platform. The treasurer fraudulently lied by telling the branch executive  that what the union received was the sum of N9million. And the Treasurer went ahead to withdraw the sum of N9 million from the union without the knowledge, approval or written consent of the Acting Chairman.”

The substantive Chairman, Mathews, died in June, 2020.