All is not well at the Imo State University as the institution’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) is boiling over the whereabouts of the N150 million deducted from the salaries of its members for the purchase of land at Avu.
Trumpeta learnt that there is trouble if not properly handled will cause friction. It was learnt that if the issue is not promptly addressed and members hastily given their money or shown their plots of land the varsity will be engulfed in a protracted crisis. The source also alleged that complicity with the school management has made it difficult to bring the culprits to book.
“They came up with a scheme, saying they wanted to deduct the sum of N720,000 from the salaries of about 280 academic staff the purchase of land. They also collected another N5,000 from each academic staff for form. We were told each piece of land would cost N720,000. They deducted our monies and paid into same into ASUU-IMSU bank account.
“In a bizarre move which can still not be explained till date, Rev. Dr. Chidi Nwadiaro who was the Chairman of ASUU in IMSU and Rev. Prof. Cornelius Nkwam Uwaoma, the immediate past Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), who surprisingly was never an executive member of ASUU-IMSU, went and secretly opened a fresh bank account without authorization from ASUU-IMSU Congress. They became the only two signatories to that private bank account,” the source said.
Further enquiries however revealed that there was never any purchase of land at Avu as members of the Union were promised. Rather, some plots of land were acquired at Aforola, and upon investigation it was gathered that the plots were worth above N350,000, differing largely from the N720,000 which the lecturers were beguiled to part with.
A reliable source within the hierarchies of ASUU also revealed that in order to conceal the alleged filthy deal, all cheques for the transactions were issued to Nwadiaro and counter-signed by Nkwam Uwaoma.
“All of these were completed and all payments made since 2017, but till date we are to be allocated any land anywhere, and even the excess monies have never been refunded to our members. We suspect that the school management is shielding the perpetrators of this heinous crime from prosecution.
“A panel was setup by the new ASUU-IMSU Chairman, Engr. Dr. Luke Uzoigwe and headed by Prof. Ajero. This panel indicted Nkwam Uwaoma Chidi Nwadiaro. Also, a review committee was set up headed by Prof. Martin Nwankwo which also upheld the indictment of Uwaoma. What we can’t explain is the reason the school management has vowed the protect those who jolted with our millions of Naira,” he bemoaned.
