The Rector of Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri, Dr. Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa and staff of the institution have been accused of indulging in job racketeering within the institution.
It was gathered that one Mr. Norbert Nworie who is a staff of the institution allegedly collected over 47 million naira from various individuals and staff of the institution with promise of offering them job in the institution but was later denied by the rector.
When our correspondent contacted Mr. Norbert Nworie on phone, he admitted facing panel in the institution and said it wasn’t a job racketeering issue because he acted on the instruction of the Rector who he is surprised for his denial.
“There is no element of truth in the thing that has to do with racketeering that concerns me, I am only an obedient servant of the Rector who asked me to source fund and help him pay it to an agent he sent that brought waiver for him: waiver is approval for employment and exactly that I did, source for fund, paid to his agent and agent went to Abuja, did the logistics and got waiver for him.”
“I am only a victim of circumstance to the man that is using me and I never know. I have already written to management, can you imagine that this man is saying all these without giving me a query? So that I will not have opportunity to put down on paper and give fact, figures, account number, call conversations, text messages and everything that has to do with this conversation last year. I am only a servant that is being victimize: God is my witness.”
“The truth is that at the appropriate time, those things will be put, the record will be there, we will calculate the record and the people that even paid the agent directly and the ones that passed through me but also put on record that Rector himself contributed one million naira into this same account that is of his agent for the same purpose and he is saying he is not aware, when I have put all the money I got.”
“Because he started an employment exercise when there is no advertisement, no interview and he has shortlisted 228 students without interview, without advertisement and I am asking him, what about the candidates of these people that helped you obtained the approval for employment? Why would you not put them? What criteria did you used to choose 226 students? Meanwhile, less than 40 something people from all these people that we got money from, why will you not put them? That is the offense I committed”. Mr. Norbert Nworie explained.
When our correspondent contacted the Rector on phone call, he admitted the development in his institution and submitted that the matter is under investigation.
“Yes there is a report, the matter is under investigation. He has been invited three times and he has not been able to say any meaningful thing. He has been queried unless he has not collected the query, the registrar has issued him a query, I don’t know what he is talking about”. The Rector reacted.
NIGERIAN HORN
