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ICPC Investigates MTI Onitsha Of N95m Fraud, Director, Accountant, 4 Others Quizzed

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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

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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

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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.

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