Few days before the former UBEC Boss, Dr. Mohammed Modibbo was sacked, he hurriedly approved payment vouchers worth over N1.76 Billion to his wife and friends.<\/p>\n
In UBEC, Modibbo deployed to full use 17 registered and unregistered companies belonging to his wife.<\/p>\n
The companies included Binani Nigeria Ltd., Binwa Press Ltd., Infinity Telecoms, Golden Crescent, Al-Hazen Enterprises, Al-Mala Ltd., Infinity Telecoms Ltd aka Infinity Global Systems and Ojunwa Press Limited, among others.<\/p>\n
Whilst Ojunwa Press Ltd. was registered four years after Modibbo first awarded it printing contracts in NTI, Al-Hazen has yet to be registered.
\nNonetheless it secured contracts in NTI and UBEC under Modibbo’s watch.<\/p>\n
In December 2008, the former UBEC boss unilaterally converted a N200 million grant from Education Trust Fund (ETF) for teaching aids for physically challenged children; to printing jobs he gave his wife’s companies.<\/p>\n
The following year, he conscripted widow of the late President, Turai Yar’Adua, into his fraudulent scheme. He used Turai to coerce key members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) into approving the conversion of over N6.7 billion that had accumulated from a budget for free school feeding, to print textbooks. His wife’s companies, notably Binani, Ojunwa and Infinity Telecoms, got the lion share of the printing jobs.<\/p>\n
A curious twist was added when shortly after FEC, on August 5, 2009, approved Modibbo’s request for the conversion of the N6.7 billion, the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) raised a very strong objection that the process wasn’t transparent as, according to the Bureau, Modibbo failed to seek a “No Objection Certificate”.
\nHe had requested over N3.3 billion for the supply of textbooks before \u201cthe beginning of the school year in September, 2009.\u201d<\/p>\n
He had earlier had gotten the Ministerial Tenders Board of the Federal Ministry of Education grant him a written approval dated 22nd June, 2009, for the award the first tranche of the contracts worth N3.3 billion. The approval was conveyed in a letter signed on behalf of the then minister of state for education, Hajiya Aishatu Dukku, by one Mrs. J.M. Agwal.<\/p>\n
Dukku had channeled another request by Modibbo to spend N2.5bn on undisclosed \u201csix items\u201d in \u201cAnnex B\u201d of his memo.<\/p>\n
Both requests were on August 5, 2009, tabled before the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for consideration, but were rejected by the council on the grounds that due process was not adhered to.<\/p>\n
Feigning “error” and “oversight”, Modibbo, on the same day his proposal was rejected, penned the BPP an apology-cum appeal letter.<\/p>\n
In the letter dated the same August 5, 2009, and with reference number UBEC\/ES\/PCU\/154\/III\/510, Modibbo began by profusely apologizing for not subjecting the contracts to \u201cdue process\u201d scrutiny, but pleaded with BPP to overlook his \u201cerror\u201d and award him a due process certificate \u201cretrospectively.\u201d<\/p>\n
He wrote: \u201cThe Council (FEC) meeting this afternoon has shown clearly that we ought to have brought this (the contracts) back to you for further scrutiny and issuance of a certificate to go ahead with the award.<\/p>\n
“This error is regretted. We have no reason not to have brought the matter back to you for consideration. It is good that the Federal Executive Council has advised that the memo be stepped down for us to complete the Due Process and obtain a certificate from your office.\u201d<\/p>\n
He however pleaded with BPP to \u201clook at them retrospectively and consider giving us the certificate to cover the awards (of the N3.3 billion
\ncontract) especially given the fact that we would want the books available in schools at the beginning of the school year in September 2009.”<\/p>\n
Incredulously, after lining the pockets of key officials of BPP with N10 million, the agency granted Modibbo the No Objection certificate “retrospectively.”<\/p>\n
Pointblanknews.com gathered that, apart from companies belonging to Aishatu, whom he dated for at least 16 years, before formally marrying in February 2010, Modibbo awarded several contracts to her siblings.<\/p>\n
Investigations revealed that the younger brother of Modibbo’s wife, Aishatu, Bashir, is a principal consultant to UBEC.<\/p>\n
With office on 26, Port Harcourt Crescent, Off Gimbiya Street, Area 11, Abuja, Modibbo appointed Bashir a principal consultant to UBEC and even handed him a brand new Toyota Hilux “project van.”<\/p>\n
Bashir, said to be the brain box of Modibbo’s vast business empire, has made a fortune in UBEC, but manages to maintain a low profile.<\/p>\n
An associate of the consultant told Pointblanknews.com how Bashir owns choice properties and vehicles in the UAE, but dorns cheap clothes and rides a nondescript Peugeot 406 salon car in Abuja.<\/p>\n
The associate commended the ability of Bashir, and his brother in-law, to maintain such a lowly mien in the face of their material worth.<\/p>\n
He disclosed that they are big covert financiers of a rival political party in the North, but for obvious political considerations, overtly profess Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).<\/p>\n
There were conflicting signals if President Jonathan will or will not re-appoint Modibbo UBEC Executive Secretary.<\/p>\n
While some powerful interests are reportedly pushing for his re-appointment so as not to further politically offend the core North, others are pointing to the recent sack of Power Minister, Prof. Barth Nnaji, without minding the political implications for President in Nnaji’s South-east zone.<\/p>\n
The anti-Modibbo forces are pointing to what they claim are his largely controversial and lackluster tenure, which they claim has set Nigerian public schools back and shot the country behind Pakistan as the country with the largest army of out-of-school children.<\/p>\n
The out-of-school syndrome has been severally identified as the major raw material for radical Islamic groups, particularly Boko Haram, which has been terrorizing major cities in the North.<\/p>\n
Critics of Modibbo’s tenure in UBEC point to the Boko Haram menace as one of his major failings, as the sect is considered antithetical to the letter and the spirit of the law establishing UBEC.<\/p>\n
Others have blamed the challenges Modibbo faced on the circumstances under which he was “re-deployed” to UBEC.<\/p>\n
“To begin with, the UBEC Act stipulates that the Executive Secretary must be a seasoned educationist. Now, is Dr. Modibbo a seasoned educationist?
\nBeing a university lecturer does not and cannot make you a seasoned educationist. It takes a seasoned educationist to understand the issues of primary education,” an official of the Ministry of Education offered.<\/p>\n
“Again, does the UBEC Act say an Executive Secretary can be re-deployed?
\nOf course not! The President appoints, not re-deploy. So those who re-deployed Modibbo in 2007 perhaps didn’t know they didn’t have such powers. So, Modibbo spent the last five years battling without success to put a seal of legitimacy on his appointment,” he stressed, adding, “this struggle took a huge toll on our primary education system.”<\/p>\n
Another associate however, countered, saying several factors beyond Modibbo’s control conspired to make his tenure uneventful.<\/p>\n
“It is not true. Modibbo did his best. So many top government officials were on his neck, and kept blackmailing him to give them money. How else could he have met their expectations?” he quizzed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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