The thirty-five year old National Metallurgical Training Institute
(NMTI) Onitsha is currently enmeshed in fresh trouble following the
investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC)
into colligation of fraud perpetrated by the school authorities to the
tune of over 95million.
Already the Director/Chief Executive of the institution Mr. Fakuade
O.D has been invited by the commission over the alleged fraud and was
granted bail, as well as the Assistant Director Accounts, Assistant
Director of Works, Head of Training, Head of Procurement and the Head
of Curriculum and Academic planning.
Similarly the Nigeria Board of Technical Education NBTE and the
Council for the Registration of Engineers in Nigeria (COREN) have also
commenced preliminary private investigation into the appointments of
principal officers of the institution and why the school lost it’s
accreditation of its courses.
According to the petition made available to ICPC, the Director Mr.
Fakuade a geology graduate was accused of misappropriating funds
belong to the institution and two separate bank accounts; First City
Monument Bank (FCMB) and First Bank Plc with the account name MTI
Consult where all the funds made from N-Power training and other short
term training organized by the Institute are being paid into against
the Federal Government Financial Policy single Treasury Account (TSA).
Though Fakuade had pleaded not guilty to the allegations leveled
against him before the ICPC, investigations and probes have continued
after he was granted bail.
During a visit to the institution by the executive members of the
Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ) Anambra State Council, Fakuade
described the allegations against him as the plot by enemies of the
institution to marline his image adding that all projects executed
followed due process in line with the federal governments’
specification.
But the anti corruption agency (ICPC) have insisted on looking into
the petitions brought before it which it described as weighty
promising to ensure fair hearing.
According to the petition, he and members of the school management
were accused of:
AWARD OF FICTITIOUS INTERVENTION CONTRACT.
In 2017, a fictitious contract was awarded to VUCO Consult Limited
through Metallurgical Training Institute and it was never executed
while the contract fee of forty one million, six hundred and eighty
five thousand Naira only (N41, 685,000) was paid in full. The payment
of this money from Government coffers into VUCO Consult Limited
Account on December 28, 2017 was facilitated by the Director of the
Institute, Pastor Fakuade O.D with the pretence that the contract was
completed. Thereafter, VUCO Consult limited was directed by Pastor
Fakuade O.D to transfer the money into an unknown Account and raise
the receipts for intervention jobs claimed to have been done by VUCO
Consult limited totally Forty one Million, Six Hundred and Eight-five
Thousand Naira only.
No part of this contract was executed. Even some people from
Accountant General’s office came and discovered this and he bribed
them with the sum of two million, five hundred thousand naira only
(N2, 500,000.00).
COMPLETION OF REHABILITATION OF EROSION-RAVAGED INTERNAL ROADS AND
CONSTRUCTION OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BOX CULVERT PHASE I
This project was awarded three times to his brother’s company, BLUE
FORTUNE LIMITED IN 2016, 2017 at the cost of fifty four million and
seventy-five thousand naira only (N54, 075,000.00) and finally in 2018
without due process. The contract fee was paid in full in 2016 but it
was abandoned, he rewarded it to the same company in 2017 without
revoking it and the contract fee paid in full but was again abandoned.
The Director re-warded it to the same company again in 2018 without
revoking it and the contract fee was also paid in full and his
brother-contractor made away with the money and abandoned the contract
half way. He then blacklisted the company. This contract was being
abandoned because of huge sum of money he was demanding from the
contractor. He paraphrased the same contract into phase 1, phase 2 and
phase 3 just to have his way.
COMPLETION OF FLOOD AND EROSION CONTRL-CONSTRUCTION OF REINFORCED
CONCRETE DRAINS AND RECTANGULAR BOX CULVERT
This contract was first awarded to CEJTECH PROJECTS LIMITED in 2016
and was abandoned half way after full payment of contract fee because
of huge amount of money he collected from the contractor. He re-warded
it to another company, FOCAL POINT CONSTRUCTION LIMITED in 2017
without due process. This contractor refused to give him any money and
completed the job. For refusing to give him the money he demanded, the
Director blacklisted the company in 2018.
DIVERSION OF CAPITAL PROJECT FUND
The Director/Chief Executive, Pastor Fakuade O.D diverted 2018 capital
project fund meant for the training of Engineering teaching Staff
according to bill of quantity to train his brothers and sisters he
employed and flooded in Finance unit to cover his misappropriation of
fund contrary to Government rules and regulation. The training took
place at Asaba where most of the trainees are living yet he paid them
DTA and Hotel Accommodation.
He also used part of the capital project fund to train Personnel/Admin
Staff at Lagos. These trainings are contrary to what is contained in
the bill of quantity.
The Director/Chief Executive on Monday, March 8, 2018 also sent five
people including a driver to PTI Warri and NBTE, Kaduna for a fact
finding for Accreditation and paid them over one Million Naira
(1,000,000.00) from the capital project fund meant for VUCO Consult
Limited to train High Technical Personnel in the Training department
in the 2019 budget.
