The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has secured the conviction of the erstwhile Provost of Isaac Jasper College of Education, Sagbama, Bayelsa State, Prof. Saviour Nathan Agoro.
The anti-graft agency arraigned the former Provost in court for contracts fraud amounting to N285 million.
Prof. Agoro was arraigned at the Bayelsa State High Court alongside the former Accountant of the institution, Perez Friday Lakemfa, who were both charged under section 12 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 for having interest in and coffering corrupt advantage on themselves and relations as a result of contracts that were awarded by the College.
One of the charges read: “That you, Professor Saviour Nathan Agoro (M), on or about the 28th day of November, 2014, in Sagbama, while being a Public Officer to wit: the Provost and Chief Executive of Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education, Sagbama, knowingly acquired direct private interest in a contract otherwise than as a member of a registered joint stock company consisting of more than twenty (20) persons when he awarded a contract for the Furnishing of One Storey Lecturers’ Offices to Neatmosa Integrated Services Limited, a company in which he is a Director for the sum of N47,115,915.00 under the 2013 and 2014 merged Tetfund Normal Intervention program, and which emanated from Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education, Sagbama, where he is the Provost and Chief Executive Officer.”
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In the 12-count charge against the defendants, the presiding judge, Justice D. E. Adekeme, found Agoro guilty on counts 1, 5 to 12, while the second defendant, Lakemfa, was found guilty on counts 2, 3 and 4 of the charges.
Justice Adekeme thereafter pronounced non-custodial sentences on the two defendants based on the charges.
The first defendant was given an option of fine of N1 million, while the second defendant was given an option of fine of N100,000.
ICPC’s prosecutors, Peace Arocha and Dr. Agada Akogu, had told the court in the course of the trial that the Commission had in May 2017 received a petition alleging that Agoro personalised the funds of the Tertiary Education Fund by awarding contracts to his company and companies owned by his relatives between 2012 and 2014 with flagrant abuse of due process and public procurement rules.
The Commission, in the course of investigation, discovered that the contract for the construction of the language laboratory and music studio was awarded to Nancydor Ekperi and Sons Company Limited, owned by Lakemfa, a friend of the former Provost and former Accountant.
Other contracts for constructions and supplies were also found to have been awarded to companies owned by family members of the convicts.
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