What ex-Bursar Peter Agi misconstrued about my employment of the ‘276 staff’ —VC Zana Akpagu

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Efio-Ita Nyok|24 March 2017

This is going to be the fifth in my series on the saga that surrounds the booting out of University of Calabar's (UNICAL) former financial czar, Mr Peter Agi. I had published UNICAL: ex-Bursar Peter Agi: a story of insubordination and usurpation of Vice-Chancellor's duties http://www.negroidhaven.org/2017/02/unical-ex-bursar-peter-agi-story-of.html?m=1 on 25th February, UNICAL: Four Incontrovertible reasons that led to ex-Bursar Peter Agi's 22 August suspension http://www.negroidhaven.org/2017/03/unical-four-incontrovertible-reasons.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook&m=1 on 7th March and Revealed: How ex-Bursar Peter Agi frustrated NUC accreditation of 2 depts in UNICALhttp://www.negroidhaven.org/2017/03/revealed-how-ex-bursar-peter-agi.html?m=1. UNICAL: After ex-Bursar Peter Agi knelt down and pleaded with me at Owerri… – ex-VC James Epoke
http://www.negroidhaven.org/2017/03/unical-after-ex-bursar-peter-agi-knelt.html?m=1 on the 17th of March.

It will be noted that in each of all these previous publications the story line is basically about 'insubordination, arrogance, disrespect and usurpation of Vice-Chancellor's duties as Accounting Officer/CEO, Head of Procurement Planning Committee and Chairman of Tenders Board by UNICAL's former financial czar'. In this present article I will be exploring the ignorance dimension that may have characterised the official activities of Agi, a quality of ignorance that had monumental negative implications on both his principal office as Bursar and the entire academic institution, that is, the University of Calabar.

In a letter addressed to the Honourable Minister of Education dated 2nd December 2016 and titled 'Unjust Termination of Appointment of Peter Agi, Bursar, University of Calabar' Agi submitted that the current Vice Chancellor, Prof. Zana Akpagu, who assumed office on 1st December 2015 employed 276 staff from 1st January to 6th June 2016. According to him this employment was 'without the necessary budgetary backing. At the time this staff were employed, the current budget shortfall was N697 million i.e (N10. 714 billion – N10. 017 billion). The monthly emolument of these new staff was N38. 2 million at a time the University was gasping over epileptic allocation and low IGR.' Peter therefore advised against these set of employment in a letter dated 14th July 2016 particularly noting 'the inability of the University to pay the new staff due to insufficient funds'. Albeit, this seem to have been the best the youthful Bursar knew.

Most importantly and granted that the monthly emolument of these staff amounted to the tune of N38.2 million, nevertheless the former Bursar did not know that the employment of these '276 staff' also saved the University the sum of N35 million which by implication 'means that the University in the final analysis has not incurred any substantial additional cost from these employments'. Besides, the employment of this number was inspired by the number of 'deceased staff, retired, dismissed and those who transferred their services'. Put differently, with the high mortality rate among staff, retirements, transfer of service, the University needed to constantly regenerate itself by occasionally 'replacing' deceased and retired staff, etc.

Again, unknown to the former Bursar, it is this employment that led to the creation of three faculties, namely, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, with six departments —Agric. Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering; Faculty of Pharmacy, and Faculty of Oceanography with three departments —Mariculture and Marine Fisheries Resources, Physical Oceanography and Biological Oceanography; and five additional departments, to with, Department of Music, Department of Fine and Applied Arts, Department of Physiotherapy, Department of Food Science and Technology and Department of Social Works. These faculties/departments matriculated their first set of students on the 3rd of February 2017.

Finally and unknown to the former Bursar these 276 staff (both teaching and non teaching) have been interviewed and regularised especially in accordance with Federal Character Commission (FCC) stipulations who have even issued a Certificate of Compliance in a 9th December letter to that effect referenced FCC/099/S.5E/05/Vol.III/349 and titled: Certificate of Compliance (Certificate No.FCC/CC/UNI.CALABAR/016/002). In fact, the number of staff that were finally regularised were 346 as against Agi's 276.

From every indication the former Bursar wanted permissions to be taken from him before employments/'replacement' were conducted (this in itself smacks of his usual arrogance and highhandedness, etc), Agi was evidently grossly ignorant and lacking in understanding of how the University operates. It still beats my mind how that the former Bursar was lacking in understanding of necessity for employment or even the securing of his permission before such an exercise could be conducted; I am at a loss how that the former Bursar could not locate the advantage that UNICAL incurred by reason of deceased, retired and transferred staff, particularly the saving of N35 million; didn't Agi appreciate the creation of new faculties and departments? Hmmm!

Put differently, the entire allegation bordering on 'employment without budgetary provisions' was a ruse. How sadly ignorant!!

Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a social commentator