The Taraba State University visitation panel announced on Thursday that it had revealed financial irregularities amounting to N3.5 billion within the university.
Prof. Josiah Sabo-Kente, the panel’s chairman, disclosed during a press briefing in Jalingo that the university had maintained inadequate accounting practices since its establishment in 2008.
Furthermore, he highlighted that the university fell short of the minimum standards set by the National Universities Commission. Consequently, the panel proposed a complete overhaul of the university’s system.
On December 24, 2023, Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State established a visitation panel with a 12-point mandate to identify the challenges facing the institution.
The governor stated that the panel’s findings would inform government intervention efforts aimed at repositioning the institution in alignment with the administration’s free education policy.
Announcing the panel’s findings on Thursday, the chairman revealed, “Since its inception in 2008, the university has maintained inadequate accounting practices.
Between 2012 and 2016, there was a lack of a cash book, complicating the reconciliation of financial records.
However, we engaged financial experts within the panel to analyze the financial expenditure during this period.”
“The period spanning from 2010 to 2023 in the institution uncovered notable disparities and inconsistencies in financial matters, cumulatively totaling more than N3.5 billion.”
“This highlights the pressing necessity for a thorough investigation into the university’s financial management practices, encompassing the handling of statutory allocations and internally generated revenue.”
Sabo-Kente expressed concern over the recurring turnover in the appointment of the chairman of the governing council, which, he noted, had adversely impacted the institution in the absence of stable university administration.
He pointed out that despite operating 53 programs, the university had a shortage of academic staff, with only 36 professors, 45 readers, and 59 senior lecturers. He criticized the imbalance, noting instances where certain departments had only one professor and 18 non-academic staff, deeming such situations unacceptable.
Furthermore, Kente highlighted a significant deficit in academic staff across faculties and departments, with only 609 tenured academic staff members compared to 1,819 non-academic staff. He remarked, “Out of the academic staff, 218 are graduate assistants-in-training, and 140 are visiting, adjunct, or sabbatical staff. This falls short of the NUC benchmark of 70 percent academic staff and 30 percent non-academic staff.”
The panel report additionally emphasized infrastructure-related difficulties, including issues with lighting, water scarcity, and inadequate medical facilities, among others. It urged prompt measures to tackle these challenges.
Stay updated and stay ahead of the game! For more instant updates, breaking news, and exclusive content on political news, follow Lagosstate.com. Don’t let any headline slip by!
