Date Published: 07/20/09

How Adeniran, Modibbo loot UBEC’s billions

Prof. Tunde Adeniran

Revelations have emerged as to how chairman of the board of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Professor Tunde Adeniran, and the Commission’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Ahmed Modibbo skim billions of naira from UBEC under the guise of Federal Teachers’ Scheme (FTS).

The Olusegun Obasanjo administration released N6 billion to kick-start the FTS scheme in late 2006, employing 40,000 holders of the National Certificate of Education (NCE) as teachers on a monthly flat salary of N10,000. The scheme was to be for two years at the end of which the respective state governments were expected to absorb the participants.

In February of this year, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, through his minister of state, education, Hajiya Aishatu Dukku, announced that another N6 billion has been released for another batch of 45,000 participants. The money does not require a Federal Executive Council approval since it is part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Pointblanknews.com gathered that there are currently less than 18,000 participants in the scheme, implying that over N250 million may be making its way into some private pockets in UBEC.

What is more, Pointblanknews.com gathered that N1000 is being deducted from the N10,000 meant for the participants, leaving the hapless teachers with a paltry N9000 monthly. Efforts by some “daring” participants to get UBEC explain the N1000 deductions have often turned out a “wild goose chase”, one of the participants told Pointblanknews.com.

“Ah, my brother, they are just using the scheme to whack government money. We don’t have serial numbers, but we know we are not up to 20,000 because we all were in Paiko, Niger State for the induction ceremony. We were paid N19,000 for the five-day programme. So, multiply N19,000 times the difference in the number they claim we are. It is head-spinning,” offered the participant.

Another drew the attention of Pointblanknews.com to their cheques. “I thought they said it was an UBEC scheme? But the cheques we get belong to NTI (National Teachers’ Institute). We don’t know if NTI, which is another organization, is acting as consultants to UBEC. All we know is that they say the UBEC man (Modibbo) headed NTI. Maybe he is using the account to compensate his former workplace,” he added.

A source at UBEC told Pointblanknews.com that Modibbo, in concert with Adeniran, has begun a systematic purge of officials who may stand in the way of their continued skimming of millions from the scheme.

The source alleged that the sack of UBEC’s director of finance, Mrs. Hadizah Kura, was to pave the way for Modibbo’s former assistant director of accounts in NTI, Auwal Lawal, and take over the accounts of the Commission.

“You know Modibbo has not been comfortable with Mrs. Kura since the controversy began over the N850 million plastic chair contracts. She has refused to side with her boss on the matter, insisting that there was no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Intermarkets Ltd., the suppliers of the plastic furniture,” noted the source.

The officer disclosed that Kura was emphatic in the reply she did to a query issued her by Modibbo that, “I will like to re-instate (sic) that, to the best of my knowledge, I never violated the extant government circular in reference above and no payment was made to Intermarkets for transportation of sitting materials to schools,” to puncture the insistence of Modibbo that Intermarkets was culpable.

The “massive purge” which Adeniran and Modibbo began in the Commission last Friday, in flagrant contempt of Civil Service rules, another source volunteered, “came as little surprise.”

He said: “You claim you are re-organising. You sack officers who have put in an average of 20 years into the service of the Commission, yet you go through the back door to appoint an NTI staff to take over the same position. The books stink in UBEC and only a Modibbo-man in charge of its accounts can manage the stench.”

Pointblanknews.com gathered that no sooner had Adeniran being appointed chairman of the UBEC board than Modibbo approached him with lots of carrots. Apparently drawing lessons from the sack of a former minister of education, Aja Wachukwu, who was said to have ‘lost it” when he fell out with Modibbo.

Modibbo, who is said to be eyeing the Adamawa governorship seat, is reputed to be the protégé of Said Abba Ruma, arguably the most powerful minister of Agriculture in Nigerian history. Modibbo has reportedly assured Adeniran that, by playing ball, he would get his master (Abba Ruma) convince Yar’Adua to anoint him successor to Oni in 2011.

As a pointer to what to expect, Adeniran is reportedly basking in the sweet scent his recent appointment as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States is oozing. He had reportedly boasted to friends that “Oga Modibbo would give me the PDP ticket so that we can both build on this relationship when he and I get to our respective Government Houses.”

When contacted, Adeniran dismissed the allegations with a wave of the hand. “I am a Christian and there is absolutely no truth in those allegations. Mr. President gave my board a marching order, and this we shall accomplish no matter whose ox is gored.”

On his rumoured romance with Modibbo, he said, “Well, the revered Dr. Modibbo is somebody I admire so much. He is an exceptional scholar whose brilliance would put some of our so-called university lecturers down south to shame. He is my Executive Secretary, and I make no apologies for that. If you have an axe to grind with him, please go ahead, but please don’t do so hiding behind the pillar of happenings in UBEC.

“See, it is only God who gives power. If God says Dr. Modibbo and I will be the next governors of Adamawa and Ekiti States, not a billion petitions can stop that. Please, you journalists should leave the man alone so that he may continue the good work he has started in UBEC,” Adeniran, a former minister of Education, declared.