How This Professor Messed Up NIPSS

Tag : discharge agent

Jul 22, 2008 (Daily Trust/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX NewsNetwork) -- When last week the Federal Government directed theDirector General of National Insititute for Policy and StrategicStudies (NIPSS), Professor Akin Akindoyeni, to proceed oncompulsory leave, it was a culmination of several months ofinvestigations by the Presidency on several scandals.
Documents made available to Sunday Trust indicated that a highpower panel had been constituted to unearth the various issues thathave dogged the affairs of the institute since Professor Akindoyeniassumed the headship of NIPSS. According to the documents, apartfrom allegations that the management of the elite college wasinvolved in sundry financial scandals, it raised serious doubtsover the manner the Akindoyeni-led administration awardedcontracts.
Some of the allegations as contained in the documents were that themanagement of NIPSS diverted several millions of Naira raised fromoil companies under the pretext of "Presidential Directive forProject on Resource Mapping and Management" tours undertaken by theformer the DG of NIPPS. The document alleged that the monies werenot accounted for by NIPSS. Closely tied to this was the diversionof several millions of Naira for the printing of books, which cost,Akindoyeni's accusers alleged, should not be more than a quarter ofa million Naira.
One of the allegations brought against both the former DG and theSecretary and Director of Administration, Dr. Yakubu Sankey, whotook over from the former DG, was the use of the institute toacquire Mercedes Benz cars at give away prices from the NigeriaCustoms Service. Citing letter NI/IMD/VOL 1, dated February 01,2007 addressed to Mr Buba Gyang, the former Customs boss, thedocument alleged that the duo had been allies in perpetuatingseveral financial improprieties against the institute.
A source told our reporter that beyond the allegations of financialmismanagement against the Akindoyeni-led administration of NIPSS,the government was worried by another allegation that the former DGwas indicted by a commission of inquiry. But another source closeto the former DG dismissed the allegations, explaining that sincethe former DG came on board, a certain force had been at play torubbish his records.
Akindoyeni was also accused of running a regime of vendetta towardsthose who were against him, just as he also embarked on measures toreward his loyal staff. One of such loyal men, the documentrevealed, was a staff who served as personal assistant to the DG.He was alleged to have been given several contracts, which includethe furnishing of the DG's official residence at the cost ofN380.000.00. A member of staff (names withheld) was also rewardedfor helping a top management staff out of a rent scandal committeeinvestigation in 2005. Another staff was also accused of colludingwith some top management staff in squandering pension fundsbelonging to NIPSS.
Another issue of interest was the renting of the NIPSS liaisonoffice in Abuja. Some of the workers had, in an earlier petition,questioned the circumstances under which the deal was struck,saying it was suspect and called on the Federal Government toreview the conditions for the rent. The rent, which was said to beN34 million, was paid by the Geological Survey but was allegedlynot paid into the accounts of NIPSS. When the amount was paid intothe coffers of the institute four months later, the workers haddemanded for the payment of the interest because the petitionershad alleged that it was initially lodged into the account of a topmanagement staff.
NIPSS was also accused of awarding contracts to companies allegedto be fronting for top management staff of the institute. Some ofthese contracts, which run into several millions of Naira, wereawarded to loyal staff and also served as conduit pipes insiphoning monies.
Sunday Trust is in possession of documents which show that theinstitute's workers had always insisted that most of the contractscould be handled internally by the institute as they had thecapacity to carry out the job without external involvement.
Apart from the controversy that has been sparked off by thecontracts, documents available to Sunday Trust indicate that theinstitute had before the sacking of Akindoyeni turned into ahotspot of internal bickering and non-adherence to the due processin awarding such contracts alleged to be given to companies thatwere fronts for top officials of the college.
Documents made available to Sunday Trust shows that severalcompanies benefitted from various contracts. Some of thesecompanies include, among others, Crystal Pegasus Internationalwhich was awarded the contract of furnishing the VIP Lodge at theNIPSS at Kuru at the sum of N14, 916, 580,00; Aryel Nigeria Ltd,got the contract for electronic network/video link provision ofhardware for the institute at N19, 525, 000, 00.
Giga Tech. Company was awarded contract for the provision ofsoftware development for departments and units in the institute atthe sum N18, 500, 000,00. Rehob Consult, another company, was giventhe job of providing hardware accessories for N9,103,000, 00.Linkage Nigeria Ltd was given the job of upgrading the internetbandwidth at N19,144,000,00. Joriada Integrated Services was giventhe job of automating the institute library at N15, 850, 000, 00and another contract of N2, 428, 470, 00 for the furnishing of ahouse at No 8, Kwara Way. Another company, Messrs Gramac Nig.Enterprise, was awarded the contract for the supplies of threedesktop computers at N250, 000, 00. Similarly Ebotes Nig. Ltd wasgiven the job of furnishing and equipping the kitchen complex ofthe institute at the cost N14, 657, 095, 00.
Apart from allegations that several of these companies werefavoured with juicy contracts, the document also alleged inflationof contracts for feeding which runs into millions of Naira. But theDG had dismissed the allegation of contract inflation on feedingwhen he told Sunday Trust in September 2007 that he was amazed whenpeople talked about the cost of food at the institute. He said theinstitute usually catered for no less than 60 participants at atime, who are usually very important personalities. He said thepersons were fed three times a day and the contract for the supplyof the food items were awarded only after the audit departmentconducted a market survey.
He said before he came to the institute, he discovered they weregiving the contractors a 25 percent margin of profit on theirsupplies, but said he quarrelled with that and was able to reducesame to 15 percent.
He explained that some of the participants being VIPs sometimescome to the institute with a retinue of personal aides like driversand other assistants whom he said cannot be denied feeding by theinstitute. He insisted that the amount spent on food could not besaid to be too much, considering the kind of people being fed.
On the companies that do contracts for the institute, Akindoyenisaid he was not aware if any of the companies was a front for anytop management staff and would want the list of those companiesforwarded to him so he could conduct an investigation.
It is not only the issue of finance that attracted attention ofthose who opposed Akindoyeni while he headed NIPSS. The issue ofemployment was a serious matter. For instance, the college'smanagement was accused of recruiting only people close to them inorder to ensure complete loyalty. Tabulating the recruitmentexercise done in previous years, some of the petitions underinvestigation alleged that the North West geo-political zone wascompletely left out in the scheme of things.
On the alleged abuse of employment which precluded people from theNorth-western part of the country, the DG had debunked them andsaid that there were quite a number of people from that part of thecountry working at the institute.
He said people complained that their parts of the country werebeing marginalised when they forward candidates' names foremployment and are not taken due to one reason or the other. TheDG, in addition, had explained that there were parts of the countrythat applications received are very low for vacancies, even if theywere advertised. Akindoyeni had said that he could not force peopleto apply.
On the alleged underground dealings in the renting of the AbujaLiaison office, he explained that, he found out that the place wasrented to the National Geological Agency when he resumed duty asDG. He said the client, though a government agency, was introducedto the institute by an agent who collected his commission. But whenhe resumed, he reviewed the rates paid by the tenants and theypaid.
On the issue of diversion of hundreds of millions of naira meantfor research and endowment funds, the DG said he was not aware ofany donation in his tenure. Commenting on allegation that N57million meant for library books disappeared, the DG explained thata certain foreign company, Claude Thompson, which supplied theinstitute books had claimed the institute owed it about N57million. Akindoyeni had declared that he was able to investigateand found out that the institute was not owing them and had writtento tell them and since then has not heard from them.
Commenting on allegations that staff members were being awardedcontracts, he denied the allegation contracts usually passedthrough a tender. He, however, challenged anybody with informationthat implicated any staff to come forward with such and he wouldtake action. He had equally dismissed alleged fraud perpetrated atthe senior executive tour, saying it was not possible as the rateswere fixed and each person travelling on tour knew exactly what wasdue to him.
On the award of contract for electronic network when the institutehad the capacity to do the job, the DG explained that he was theone that employed the staff who later did the job at a far reducedrate from what other contractors quoted. He said when the job wasoffered, one contractor said he was going to do it for N14 millionwhile another quoted N12 million.
But Akindoyeni said he was lucky to discover that one of theparticipants at the course, an IT specialist from the Air forcewilling to do the job at a minimal cost. He approached him and theman (Zakka) went and inspected what was on ground and said he coulddo it for less than N4 million, which was offered to him and thejob was done. He said later the man was retired from the Air Forceand he brought him on board to handle the IT at the institute.
Dismissing insinuations that contracts were split and did notfollow due process, Akindoyeni said that it was not possible tosplit contracts. He had claimed that all contracts awarded by NIPSShad passed through due process. On allegations that managementstaff were in the habit of taking bribes to some members of theNational Assembly and other relevant agencies in the discharge oftheir delegated function, the former NIPSS boss said that there wasno need for such, as members of the National Assembly were alwaysat the institute to carry out their oversight functions. Akindoyenihad equally debunked allegations of overdraft obtained and said theNIPSS once obtained such facility to pay his staff when the salaryfor a particular month was being delayed. He described that as anormal practice for any sensitive management so that the staff maynot be made to go through unnecessary hardship.
He had also denied claim that theft was a regular trend in theinstitute. Akindoyeni had recalled that only particular period whenhe learned that some people scaled the fence and broke the store.He confirmed that the police had arrested some of the suspects andsince then such an incident had not happened again. He said therewas adequate security to check theft from the store as all vehiclesleaving the premises were regularly checked.
There is no doubt that the sacking of Akindoyeni as boss of NIPSSmay as well pave the way for a full blown investigation into howthe professor ran the affairs of the college in the past fouryears. But with Sankey holding forte as boss, not many would beconvinced that government would get to the root of the problem.