A Non Governmental Organisation under the umbrella of Stop Impunity in Nigeria, the Centre for Policy Advocacy and Leadership Development, has petitioned the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, over what it said amounted to multi-million naira fraud that had been ongoing in the ministry in the last 12 years.
The group, in two separate petitions to Shekarau, said that the fraud is perpetrated by staff of the Ministry of Education in conjunction with those in the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
According to the petitions signed by the CPALD Executive Director, Comrade Terna Yankyaa, and Head of Legal Services, Barrister Chris Udu, the increment in the salaries of most staff who have been promoted in the Ministry of Education in the past 12 years are being withheld by the cartel perpetrating the fraud.
According to the anti-corruption NGO, when a staff is promoted, he or she is duly moved to the next office in terms of responsibility and desk, but not salary and other emoluments.
Yankyaa and Udu said in one of the petitions dated August 5, 2014 but stamped received in Shekarau’s office on August 6, 2014: “The Hon. Minister Sir, our attention has been drawn to some perceived conspiracies in your Ministry spanning over 12 years against some of your very dedicated staff who have been variously promoted but have continued to receive salaries based on their old grade levels for between three and 12 years in spite of obvious evidences that the monies have variously been appropriated for by the National Assembly.
“If this is true, then it is a clear case of corruption and high level conspiracy and impunity which we seek diligently to eliminate from our governance system.”
CPALD, which said it was considering a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission and the National Assembly, said it felt compelled to intimate Shekarau of the happening before taking such action.
In the second letter to Shekarau, the body called for the relevant information on the payment of staff in the Ministry.
It said the demand was made sequel to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.
It demanded for the list of staff in the Ministry and their promotion history from 2002 till date; the details of payment of such promotion and arrears where applicable, including the date of payment of the arrears, which bank and if by cash evidence of the payment; the arrears standing or which stood in favour of each staff; and the present grade level and salary of each staff.
The letter added: “We should appreciate that pursuant to the letters and intent of the Freedom of Information Act, the information requested herein be made available to us within 14 days of the receipt of this letter.”
In making the request, the petitioners had said: “We have a petition before the Hon. Minister of Education based on information and complaints which have come to our notice that the Federal Ministry of Education has allegedly refused, is refusing and does not intend to pay the staff posted to and working under it by the Federal Civil Service Commission their due emoluments.
“This refusal is usually done when the staffs are promoted to a new grade level and is being perpetrated for as many grade levels as staffs has been promoted for the past 12 years.
“The alleged refusal to pay and implement promotions is done in collusion with the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.”
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