We, the concerned residents of Cross River State, sincerely express our gratitude to the honorable governor, His Excellency Prince Bassey Otu, for fulfilling his campaign promise to merge the Federal Polytechnic Ugep and the Cross River Institute of Technology and Management Ugep. Without this merger, the institute would have faced a complete collapse due to inexperienced management. The last Matriculation ceremony held on December 8th, 2023, only enrolled 26 students in 10 departments, highlighting the critical situation before the state's decision to transfer the institute to the Federal Polytechnic Ugep. This intervention was timely and appreciated by the majority of CR-ITM staff, who celebrated and praised the Cross River State government for their proactive steps.
However, the acting Bursar, Mr. Eteng Clement Otu, and the acting Registrar, Mr. Ibor Joseph Ikpi, have expressed their dissatisfaction with the government's decision due to their dubious attitudes, selfish nature, and lack of experience in the system. They have even traveled to Calabar to meet with the Commissioner for Education in an attempt to convince him to reverse the governor's pronouncement. They argue that the institute receives one billion Naira in Tetfund Intervention annually, and this funding will cease once the Federal Polytechnic takes over CR-ITM. Additionally, they have sought the support of some members of the State House of Assembly to relocate the institute, allowing them to continue with their fraudulent activities should the Federal Polytechnic take over.
Such efforts by the acting Bursar and Registrar demonstrate their fear and greed as they have been manipulating the Tetfund account without any oversight or audits. In August 2023, the acting Bursar transferred five million Naira from the Tetfund account into his personal account, which violates accounting ethics and Tetfund financial regulations. The Bursar also made an unauthorized payment of fifty million Naira in September 2023 to a contractor for the supply of electrical equipment to the Department of Electrical Engineering, which the contractor has yet to fulfill. Additionally, the Bursar made another payment of sixty-eight million and nine thousand Naira to the same contractor, despite warnings from the Procurement officer not to make any payment without proper checks and balances. The ten million Naira that the Bursar claimed to have borrowed from the Tetfund account has not been refunded, even after staff members forfeited their one-month salary for that purpose.
In light of these actions, we urge the Tetfund Management and the State government to conduct a thorough forensic audit of the CR-ITM Tetfund account from its inception to the present day. They should investigate the Bursar for the misappropriation of Tetfund funds and, if found guilty, arrest and prosecute him. Furthermore, the staff nominal roll of CR-ITM should be audited, as the acting Registrar has added non-staff members to the roll due to the merger with the Federal Polytechnic. We, as the unions and previous payrolls, can assist in identifying those who are not actual staff during the documentation process.
We wholeheartedly pledge our full support to the government of His Excellency Prince Bassey Otu, but we also request the following:
1. Reevaluation of the placement of all CR-ITM staff, as some may have been placed based on favoritism rather than qualifications.
2. Verification of staff credentials, as it has been observed that some principal staff members have forged their qualifications.
Lastly, the absence of the Institute's Rector, Dr. Jeffrey Kenyon Thompson, for the past five months is a matter of great concern, raising important questions within the Nigerian higher education system. Prior to the Rector's departure, staff members were coerced into signing an oath of silence regarding any irregularities they witnessed, under the guidance of the Acting Registrar, Mr. Ibor Joseph Ikpi, who designed the oath form, and the Rector acted as witness.
We sincerely hope for your urgent attention to our situation. Thank you.
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