FECA’s Provost, enmeshed in fraudulent allegations
By Our reporter
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The Provost of the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, FECA, Dr Samson Adeola Odedina has been petitioned before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over various allegations ranging from collection of two salaries at FECA as the Provost and in Ogun State Polytechnic as Rector since June 2018 till date and other alleged fraudulent practices.
In a four-page petition written by one Engr. Niyi Ajayi of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA to the EFCC, a copy of which was sent to our office alleged that Dr Odedina claimed he is on Sabbatical Leave at FECA as the Provost which he is not entitled to.
The petition stated further that it is a criminal offence for Odedina to go on sabbatical when he has not completed his five-year tenure at FECA as provost. “It is an offence to work in a place where he had been given appointment as a Provost for five years to have taken another appointment elsewhere without completing his current tenure.
“It is after the completion of his five years tenure that he can go on sabbatical leave,” the petition stated.
The petitioner also alleged that Dr Odedina corruptly claimed FECA, with a student population of 800 has 10,000 students which he used to collect extra money from the Federal Government.
He has allegedly used this method to recruit 250 workers without due process. He has used this method of recruitment to compromise members of the union and members of management staff that are his favourite.
“All the money generated as internally generated fund were placed in his personal account as his money. external grant obtained from Bill Gates were placed and collected for cassava productions were used as his money”, the petition alleged.
The petitioner alleged further that it was a criminal offence to work in two places and be collecting salaries same time.
When contacted on phone on Tuesday March 19, on the issue Dr Odedina told our reporter to call him back the following day by 4pm. Several calls made to his GSM line on Wednesday, March 20 were not picked. A text message sent to him was not replied.
However, a text message forwarded to him to remind him about the earlier calls and message on Thursday March 21 was replied by him which read :I will call back shortly.”
Unfortunately, when he did not call back as promised our reporter made other several calls on Friday which were not picked.
One of the Senior Staff of FECA who later spoke under condition of anonymity on the issue said Dr Odedina’s action to have gone on sabbatical leave was at variance with FECA’s condition of service.
The staff stated that when Odedina was advised against taking such unlawful step, he claimed that his action was in line with the rules and regulations guiding the Federal Ministry of Education, which according to him supercedes FECA’s condition of service.
