Following the recent publication by 247ureports.com on January 21, 2021 titled How Minister Of Education, Adamu Adamu Uses Gangs Of Corrupt Aides To Swindle Education Ministry where it exposed the cesspit at the federal ministry of education under the direction of the federal minister, Adamu Adamu, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] arrested one of the culprits of the corrupt cesspit on Thursday January 28, 2021. The vice chancellor of the federal university of Gusau, Professor Magaji Garba.
Further investigation by 247ureports.com showed the arrest may be a tip of the iceberg.
It uncovered more disheartening practices orchestrated by the Minister and his relatives in a web that includes the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Male Buni, the Governor’s younger brother, Adamu’s wife, Hajiya Ladi Adamu, Alhaji Gambo Muazu and others.
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The arrested vice chancellor of the federal university of Gusau, Prof. Magaji Garba who presently is detained at the holding cell of the EFCC in Abuja is reported to be working in cohorts with the federal minister of Education to execute the contract scam he was arrested for – which was for the construction of perimeter Wall Fence around the university, phase one of the project – for the cost of N3billion.
According to available information, the Governor of Yobe was the original candidate penciled to execute the fencing contract. He was personally penciled by the Minister of Education. The Minister told the Vice Chancellor the fencing job was to be reserved for the Yobe State Governor who also doubles as the interim National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress [APC]. The younger brother to the Yobe State Governor alongside Ibrahim Adamu [the younger brother to the Minister] were to pose as fronts for the Yobe State Governor to execute the said N3billion perimeter fencing contract. “The minister told the VC that the job is not his own”.
The younger brother to the Yobe State Governor – in the company of Ibrahim Adamu visited the Vice Chancellor. The Governor had given N200million to the Vice Chancellor through his brother, as bribe.
But the Vice Chancellor who is a childhood friend of the Minister acted to swindle the Yobe Governor and three additional contractors on the same reported fencing contract [EFCC arrests Gusau university VC for N260 million contract scam].
One of the contractors, according to a petition submitted to the EFCC, Alhaji Shehu Sambo, owner of Ministaco Nigeria Limited paid the Vice Chancellor the sum of N260million in cash in return for the award of the said fencing contract. Another contractor [name withheld] paid the sum of N108million directly to the Vice Chancellor for the same contract with the promise the fencing contract will be awarded to his company. Interestingly, the Vice Chancellor collected the sums of money “without having the clearance from the ministry to award the contract” –
[See letter – stating contract was still at the funding stage].
Both contractors have since petitioned the EFCC.
Sources close to the Minister believe the Vice Chancellor was not acting alone. “He was collecting the monies for the folks in Abuja”. 247ureports.com is not certain who the monies were being collected for. This is as a family member of the Minister revealed the Vice Chancellor recently gave the wife of the minister, Hajiya Ladi Adamu, the sum of N50million.
Meanwhile, the vice chancellor’s troubles began trickling into the public arena when a former close confident, Aliyu Burga fell in the hands of the EFCC last year following a brief stint at the federal university of Gusau as the acting director of procurement. Aliyu Burga had worked at Ahmadu Bello University [ABU] Zaria where Prof Magaji Garba was then a senior lecturer at the pharmacy department. Aliyu Burga was seen as a devote Muslim and was active at the local Mosque. Prof Magaji Garba took a liking to him. When Prof Magaji Garba became the Vice Chancellor at University in Gusau, Aliyu Burga lobbied for the position of director of procurement. Prof Garba could only appoint him as the acting director of procurement “because Prof thought Burga was not qualified”.
In the brief period Burga served as the acting director, he amassed ungodly wealth and commercial properties in choice locations within Northern Nigeria in places like Kano, Kaduna and his hometown, Azare in Bauchi State. He spent lavishly publicly. He displayed his ill-gotten wealth in a manner that caught the attention of Nigerian anti-graft agencies. He was unaware he was already being monitored. Coincidentally, “a substantive director was appointed – and he was removed. He felt betrayed”.
Shortly after his removal, he was picked up by the EFCC.
While at the EFCC custody, he struck a deal with the EFCC – and began talking to the EFCC about the fraudulent transactions at the federal university at Gusau. “He revealed the fraud that lead to the arrest of the VC by the EFCC”. According to our source, the information given to the EFCC by Burga matched the petition submitted by one of the contractors [Alhaji Shehu Sambo, owner of Ministaco Nigeria Limited] who paid the N260million to the Vice Chancellor.
The arrest of the Vice Chancellor showcases how the Minister, his relatives and cohorts, Ibrahim Adamu, Umaru Adamu, Dauda Abdul Hamid, Abdul Mumini, Alhaji Kaulaha Aliyu, Salisu Mustapha, Hajiya Ladi Adamu have converted the federal ministry of education into a personal/private cash cow for a select few to swindle the resources of the education ministry.
It is understood the Vice Chancellor may have been presented as a sacrificial lamb in order to protect the Minister and his gang.
In the meantime, the gang continues their looting.
The younger brother to the Minister, Hon. Umaru Adamu who is not on the employ of the education ministry or any of its parastatals is reported to be in charge of all the contract emanating out of the UBEC and other parastatals. “He is the sole contractor”.
Inside the education ministry, Umaru Adamu is considered a “Stakeholder” – which translates to meaning each contract awarded will result to the contractor having to pay a certain sum of money to Umaru Adamu because of his status as a “Stakeholder”. He was paid N30million by the arrested Vice Chancellor, Prof Magaji Garba – as a stakeholder.
At the education ministry, all contracts emanating out of the parastatals are pre-awarded before it is made open for bidding. “To access projects, you have to bribe” revealed one of the senior officers at the education ministry. The source explains that it is the education ministry that submits list of contractors to the parastatals and schools awarding contracts.
The contractors would then be awarded the contracts as fronts for relatives of the minister. ‘Most of the contract would be left unexecuted”.
Members of House of Representatives would submit names of contractors to UBEC under the guise of constituency projects. “They will collect the money and never complete the project”.
At TETFUND, the same is the case. A director who goes by the name, Buhari is reported to be the one in charge of disbursing contactors to the various tertiary institutions. He sends contractors to the tertiary institutions for the heads of the institution to award the supposed contracts to. These dispatched contractors who are acting as fronts will in turn pay monies to the “Stakeholders” and remit the remainder to the ‘real’ owners of the company. “Through this measure a single company can/will collect contracts from three universities and not execute the job”.
At the ministry, the [now retired] Director of Procurement, Gambo Mu’azu supervised the corrupt operation.
Alhaji Kaulaha Aliyu from Azare – once a running mate to Ahmed Muazu as deputy governor and was unceremoniously removed following accusation of having stolen money belonging to government – is said to have joined Adamu Adamu to help him execute dirty jobs. “He came to help Adamu Adamu execute some dirty jobs”.
Shortly after arrival at the ministry, Aliyu summoned all directors of the ministry telling them that the minister did not have a house of his own – and that he needed money to purchase a house for the minister. Gambo Mu’azu was the one who supervised the release of an estimated N450million. A house was then purchased in Maitama for the minister.
While at the director’s office, Gambo Mu’azu – almost singlehandedly awarded all contracts – including a controversial contract worth N5.5billion to Alhaji Garba Noma to print ‘examination papers’ for NECO and additional materials for NTI. Alhaji Garba Noma was the Bauchi State PDP chairman and a current card carrying member of the PDP. On the same strength, another company from Jos, Plateau State fronting for the younger brother of the minister, Umaru Adamu was awarded a printing contract for the sum of N4.32billion.
The minister’s wife, on her part, “receives at least ten [10] contract award letters every month from UBEC” – of which she uses the help of her younger brother, Dauda Abdul Hamid to execute the contracts. Dauda Abdul Hamid is currently serving as a special assistant to the minister.
Recently, Dauda Abdul Hamid purchased a large piece of real estate in a highbrow area of Bauchi State behind Sa’adu Zungur primary school inside Bauchi city. The area is a government reserved area. His younger brother reside at one of the properties.
Dauda Abdul Hamid often boasts to the hearing of his friends that “this is our time to shine”. He brags, “There is little the minister can do to stop us because the minister is also stealing money”.
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A source within the EFCC hinted the anti graft agency have begun monitoring the activities at education ministry.
Stay tuned
