Ogun panel uncovers scam in SSCE enrolment

A total of 3,571 external candidates were added to the legitimate list of students that sat for the Senior School Certificate Examination in the last three years in Ogun State.
This was made known on Monday in Abeokuta, the state capital, during the presentation of a report of the administrative panel of enquiry set up by the state’s Head of Service.
The panel had looked into alleged cases of illicit and fraudulent diversion of government funds by officials of the Ministry of Education.
Following a petition on alleged diversion of public funds meant for payment of the SSCE in the state amounting to N200 million, the government had set up a five-man panel of enquiry to look into the allegation.
According to the Chairman of the panel, Abdul-Fatai Opebiyi, the financial implication of the fraudulent inclusion of the 3,571 illegal students amounted to N31.6 million.
Opebiyi added that apart from the amount, various sums of money were discovered to have been held illegally by certain officers of the ministry.
Opebiyi said the panel had recommended appropriate sanctions against culpable officers and suggestions on ways of preventing future occurrences.
The Head of Service, Modupe Adekunle, commended members of the panel for the successful completion of the assignment.
Adekunle said the panel members had assisted government in the assignment without prejudice to the pressure mounted on them.
“Whatever we do should be for the progress of the state and the present administration in its mission to rebuild the state,” she said.