The Staff members of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Anambra State have petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Professor Kate Azuka Omenugha, the Acting Vice Chancellor of the university for alleged contract racketeering amounting to public procurement violation, fraud and financial crimes.
In a 27 January 2025 letter addressed to the EFCC Chairman, by Silas, Joseph Onu, Esq., counsel to the petitioners who have elected to remain anonymous, the EFCC was informed that a probe into the “dealings of the Ag. Vice Chancellor with her son and the various companies linked to Mr. Chukwuma Paul Chukwuka, will not only reveal multiple violations of the Public Procurement Act 2007, financial misappropriation and other heinous public financial crimes being perpetrated by the team, but will also expose other unknown fraudulent activities being perpetrated by the Ag. Vice-chancellor.”
The most part of the petition reads:
INTRODUCTION:
Professor Kate Azuka Omenugha is currently the Acting Vice Chancellor of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Anambra State (formerly known as Anambra State University) and since she assumed that office, which also automatically placed her as the chairman of the University’s Tenders Board, our clients have been witnesses of her reckless disregard for adherence to due process and a penchant for awarding contracts to her son – Mr. Nelson Omenugha and one Chukwuma Paul Chukwuka, who uses multiple companies all registered by him, blatantly. Our clients believe that an investigation into the dealings of the Ag. Vice Chancellor with her son and the various companies linked to Mr. Chukwuma Paul Chukwuka, will not only reveal multiple violations of the Public Procurement Act 2007, financial misappropriation and other heinous public financial crimes being perpetrated by the team, but will also expose other unknown fraudulent activities being perpetrated by the Ag. Vice-chancellor.
Our clients have diligently obtained some evidence of these abuses of public office and financial crimes through the splitting and awarding of contracts for personal gains. Each instance of such infractions is as detailed below:
- RE: ALLOCATION FOR YEAR 2024 TETFUND SPECIAL HIGH IMPACT PROJECT INTERVENTION PHASE XIV 2024V/FXS13: DISBURSEMENT OF FIRST TRANCHE OF FUNDS. (annexure)
This intervention is for the sum of four billion naira (N4,000,000,000.00). This intervention was divided into (8) eight lots, which are for 4 constructions contract and 4 consultancy contracts. Attached herein are the evidence of award for contracts lots 1, 2 to Fibelle & Mibble Ltd. And lot 3 to Humblerock Ltd., they are marked accordingly annextures 1,2 and 3.
It is important to note that due process was not followed in splitting and awarding these contracts. The Ag. Vice-chancellor as chairman of the Tenders Board of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, in cahoots with Mr. Chukwuma Paul Chukwuka – who poses as a contractor, violated the Procurement Act in the award of these contracts in the following ways:
- There were no public notifications for expression of bids as required by the Public Procurement Act.
- The 4 construction contracts and the 4 consultancy contracts were awarded to Fibelle & Mibble Ltd., Humblerock Ltd., FIDES ET RATIO Ltd., Field Mashal Integrated Engineering Concept Ltd. All registered to Mr. Chukwuma Paul Chukwuka. See the attached Corporate Affair Commission search reports attached as annextures 4, 5, 6 and 7.
- Payments have been requested by one of the companies and approved by the Ag. Vice-chancellor. See the request for payment attached as annextures 8 and 9. (Our clients believe that the payments are prioritised and paid without delays)
- At the time of these awards, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other related Anti-graft agencies were already prosecuting the said contractor. The attention of the Ag. Vice-chancellor was called to this information which was in the public domain, but she rebuffed it, because of her vested interest in the contract and the contractor. This is in violation of Part XIl s. 4 (a, b, c and e) of the Public Procurement Act 2007.
2. STAFF BIOMETRIC CAPTURING EXERCISE
The contract for this staff biometric capturing exercise was awarded by the Ag. Vice-chancellor to IMPERIAL ASSOCIATE LIMITED of 7B OBA ADETONA STREET, ILUPEJU, LAGOS. See attached as annexture 10. This contract was actually awarded by the Ag. Vice-chancellor to her son, Nelson Omenugha in total disregard for conflict of interest. This contract violates Part XI (s. 10) and s. 12 (a, b, c. d, e, f. and g) of the Public Procurement Act 2007. This is an inactive company on the records of the Corporate Affairs Commission. An inactive company means that it has been denying the Government of the Federation taxes for decades. Yet public funds were fraudulently paid to this company.
3. THE UNIVERSITY GATE HOUSE, IGBARIAM CAMPUS
The University perimeter fence at the Igbariam campus collapsed since 2010. The Gatehouse was declared poorly executed in 2013 and the contractor – Mactonnel Associates was blacklisted by the University. However, in 2024, the Ag. Vice-chancellor and her son, embarked on a facelift of the gatehouse without the input of the University’s Director of Physical Planning and, without any valuation by the Council haven been done, as required by law. This gatehouse facelift, alleged to have been carried out by the Ag. Vice-chancellor’s son, Nelson Omenugha has gulped millions of naira ranging from N65m, (Sixty-five million) to N110m (One hundred and ten million naira). This contract violates Part XI (s. 10) and s. 12 (a, b, c, d, e, f, and g) of the Public Procurement Act 2007.
4. SOLAR STREET LIGHTING IN THE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, AMAKU, AWKA
This contract awarded by the Ag. Vice-chancellor for the sum of N20m (Twenty Million naira) was executed in 2024 by her son, Nelson Omenugha. There was no valuation by the Director of Physical Planning nor was there a bid for the contract. This contract was in violation of Part XI (s. 10) and s. 12 (a, b, c, d, e, f, and g). Two batteries were procured with some solar panels. This project has never worked in the college with the students left in darkness. The contract sum was paid into the account of the Ag. Vice-chancellor’s son by the University. The Ag. Bursar will be able to provide proof of payment and account details.
5. B-ORIENT TABLE WATER
In 2024, the Ag. Vice-chancellor through her children took advantage of her office to enter a business transaction with the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, to sell only their family table water (KONCIO) within the entire University premises. KONCIO table water and KONCIOO Enterprises Ltd. has Kate Azuka Omenugha and her children as Persons with Significant Control of the companies, see attached annexture 11 and 12. This is in violation of Part XI (s. 10) and s. 12 (a, b, c, d, e, f, and g) of the Public Procurement Act 2007. Millions of naira of university funds were paid over to the Ag. VC’s companies under the contract. Furthermore, the University’s vehicles were deployed to the services of the private family business, and attendant expenses including fuelling and maintenance were borne by the university.
When University Council got wind of this gross violation of the procurement process, it directed the termination of the relationship and sale of the table water within the University. However, the Ag. Vice-chancellor in contravention of Part XI (s. 10) and s. 12 (a, b, c, d, e, f, and g) of the Public Procurement Act 2007, circumvented the Council directive and introduced another table water named B-ORIENT Table water and gave it monopoly of the water market within the University. A further investigation and petition by a staff to Council on behalf of the shop owners in the University minimart at the Igbariam campus, got Council to once again direct the stoppage of the sale of B-Orient Table water. But the Ag. Vice-chancellor, has persisted in the act of violation of the conflict-of-interest doctrine of the Public Procurement Act. Here again the company purportedly behind B-ORIENT Table water, ORIENT-WRITERS LIMITED of BLK 9 NEWSITE ABOR, OGBUNIKE, OYI LGA, AMA WA, ANAMBRA, is inactive and illegally operated according to the search report from the Corporate Affairs Commission, see attached annexture 13.
6. PRINTING OF STUDENT IDENTIFICATION CARD
In 2024, the Ag. Vice-chancellor’s son, Nelson Omenugha instructed the Dean of Students Affairs Arch-Deacon Dr. Sunday Achebe to transfer to him the money meant for the printing of identity cards for students. The Dean transferred the sum of N4.5m (Four million, Five Hundred thousand naira) to the account of the Ag. Vice chancellor son, Nelson Omenugha. The identity card was neither printed nor the money refunded. It is alleged that the Ag. Vice-chancellor’s son comes to the Dean’s office every Friday evenings to collect huge stacks of money in Ghana-must-go bags. These are dues and service charges generated by the Students Affairs Directorate, that to be used for running cost of the student’s hostels and other student activities.
7. RE: YEAR 2023 TETFUND ANNUAL INTERVENTION (LOT), CONSTRUCTION OF DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE BUILDING; PASSIONATE APPEAL TO CONSIDER PROJECT AUGMENTATION AS A RESULT OF INFLATION
The contract for the construction of Department of Architecture building was awarded to SOTTAM SYNERGY RESOURCES LTD On 21 July, 2023 which mobilized to site on the 13th September, 2023, with a completion duration of 48 weeks (One year). This contract was awarded at the cost of N414 million (Four Hundred and fourteen million naira) and the funds were made available promptly. The contractor completed 92 percent of the work and was to finish the job and take his remaining 15 percent payment from TETfund. However, when the Ag. Vice-chancellor visited the site; she saw the contract as an avenue to extort money from the university and colluded with the contractor to stop the work. She first proposed that the Contractor be paid N100 million (One Hundred Million naira) of the University’s money to enable him complete the job given and being paid for by TETfund.
This contractor has been working for TETfund and knows that TETfund does not pay variations in their contracts. That was why the contractor almost completed his job before the corrupt manipulations started. The University got a consultant and paid him to value what was needed to complete the contract and the Consultant got the sum of N48m (Forty-eight million). The University gratuitously paid the contractor N58m (Fifty-eight million naira). Yet the contractor was encouraged by the Ag. Vice-chancellor, not to return to site but demand for N100m (One Million naira) which she initially insisted the University must pay to the contractor. Annexure 8 is the company’s ludicrous request for variation and the reasons given. These actions of the Ag. Vice-chancellor and the contractor are in violation of Part XIl s. 4(a, b, c, f and g) of the Public Procurement Act 2007. The appeal for augmentation is attached and marked annexture 14.
CONCLUSION AND PRAYER:
Going by the above submissions with verifiable documentary proof of the alleged infractions perpetrated by the Ag. Vice Chancellor in cahoots with her son, family members and Mr. Chukwuma Paul Chukwuka – who is the front for the many companies involved in the racket, including others not listed above, which are: Fibelle and Mibbelle Energy Resource Ltd.; Fibelle and Mibbelle Academy Ltd.; Fibelle and Mibbelle Foods Ltd.; Humbelrock Iron and Steel Ltd.; Captal Fides Et Ratio Ltd.; and Fides Et Ratio Academy Ltd. – CAC reports of all are herein attached and marked as annextures 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20, respectfully. We hereby petition all the individuals and corporate entities involved in the fleecing of public funds under the pretentious cover of contract awards. Their actions clearly amount to gross violations of the procurement processes and the Public Procurement Act 2007 and undermines the proper administration of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Anambra State.
A thorough investigation will certainly expose more unknown fraudulent activities by the Ag. Vice Chancellor.
We look forward to your swift action to forestall the continuance of this criminal enterprise.
Sincerely,
for: SHIELD AND SWORD CONCSULT.
SILAS, Joseph Onu, Esq.
Managing Consultant.
