By Aare Abiodun Oluwarotimi, Reporting for Nigerian Concord
Global Media Against Corruption, GMAC has called on the governor of Benue state, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia to immediately sack the embattled chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Grace Adagba who is being accused of N2.7B school contracts scam.
Global Media Against Corruption is an international media group based in the United States of America and with a Regional Office in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria.
Reacting in a press statement to the allegation of gross financial misappropriation made against Dr. Grace Adagba by some media organizations and private investigators in Makurdi early this week, the Nigeria Regional Director Global Media Against Corruption, Clems Aishida PhD, said that the allegations were too weighty to be swept under the carpet.
The international media group urged Governor Alia to uphold his promise to hand over any of his officials that is accused of any corrupt practice to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for a proper probe.
Dr. Aishida noted that keeping a corrupt public officer such as Adagba in Alia’s government any further is a sign that the government is not transparent in its fight against corruption in the state.
The Global Media Against Corruption also called on the Benue State House of Assembly led by Speaker Dajoh Aondona to ensure the immediate suspension and probe of the embattled SUBEB chairman.
The group however promised to take the Benue state government to court if it continues to provide a cover for Adagba in the face of the serious allegation of financial misappropriation made against her.
The international media group also noted that it had raised an independent panel of journalists to do further findings about the ongoing contract frauds in Benue SUBEB.
“How can someone sit down in the comfort zone of her office and start awarding government contracts without a due process just because she is close to the governor.
“Is it because of her closeness to the governor that makes her to be reckless in stealing government funds. We implore His Excellency, Father Hyacinth Alia and Rt Hon. Dajoh Anodona to immediately suspend Dr. Grace Adagba and commended a Probe into her activities as SUBEB chairman since she assumed duties”
Recall that this newspaper had few days ago reported how the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) is presently plunged into a multi-billion Naira contract scam as a result of the reckless and fraudulent activities of the executive chairman of the agency, Dr. Grace Adagba.
The newspaper also reported the declaration of wars against journalists in Makurdi, the capital town of Benue state by the corrupt SUBEB chairman who has been trying to sweep the inflated, fake and illegally-awarded contracts worth over N2.6Billion under the rug.
Most of the contracts according to our independent investigation were awarded by Adagba to her friends and siblings, her personal companies, politicians and government drivers. Some of the primary schools contracts were awarded, sold and re-awarded at a higher rates at the instance of the chairman.
In her attempt to cover up the massive frauds, the SUBEB chairman with the help of three of her Board members, Prince Andy Uwouku, Mr. Paul Ebe and Dr. Joseph Jande who also benefited from the fraudulent activities had written a petition to the Benue state Commissioner of Police and the Director of DSS in the state to invite any journalist that publishes anything related to the matter for questioning and possible detention until such reporter writes an undertaking to quit the investigation.
Recall that a media influencer in the state, Leonard Ikyem was recently invited and detained by operatives of the DSS in Makurdi. He was forced to write a letter of apology to the SUBEB chairman. He was also made to write an undertaking to quit the investigation.
Apart from stealing over N2.6Billion contract funds, Dr. Adagba according to investigation by this newspaper also conered several million of Naira from the money approved to train staff on public procurement processes and the automation of staff payroll system.
As part of the cover up plans, Dr. Adagba has instructed the Cashiers of SUBEB not to provide the Board’s financial information to any investigator being it police or journalists.
When contacted over the phone, Dr. Adagba who boasted of her relationship with Governor Alia as a leverage refused to comment on the SUBEB contracts which she had awarded and still awarding for political patronage without any due process.
She also refused to explain why all the SUBEB projects were sited in one particular region of the state when contacted by our reporters in Makurdi