Revealed: How ex-Bursar Peter Agi frustrated NUC accreditation of 2 depts in UNICAL

Efio-Ita Nyok|10 March 2017

It will be observed that beginning from the third week of February 2017 I had began an exclusive inquiry into the brouhaha that transpired in the University of Calabar(UNICAL), Calabar leading to the sack of the erstwhile Bursar of my Alma Mater, Mr Peter Agi. My independent investigation has led to my publishing two articles, to wit, 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 and 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 25th February and 7th March 2017 respectively.

The recurring narrative in these extant publications are thus: unjustifiable insubordination and illegal usurpation of powers on the part of Peter Agi, the youthful and former financial czar of UNICAL. No wonder I couldn’t help but refer to him as a psychological megalomaniac. In this third feature, I will expand the frontiers of this rather sad commentary. No doubt, the professional expertise of Agi will be missed in the University community but as John C. Maxwell, the world acclaimed leadership expert, would assert —talent is not enough, character play quite a profound role in our daily living. Again, the fact is that the truth has to be told especially considering the numerous cobwebs of falsehood that have been spinned to becloud the truth in this case.

In one of the leaked documents I am preying on presently it is garnered that the failure of two departments in the prestigious College of Medicine to acquire accreditation from the Nigerian University Commission (NUC) in 2016 is as a result of the unwholesome character bent of Agi. In fact, in a document with reference number UC/VC/45.2 and dated 20th January 2017, being a letter of Vice Chancellor Zana Akpagu to the Honourable Minister of Education, it is explained that the Departments of Community Health and Family Health failed secure accreditation from NUC because of the disobedience of the then Bursar, Peter Agi. In the words of VC Akpagu, ‘The truth is that Mr Agi flagrantly refused to obey Council directives to procure 2 buses for the Department of Community Health and the Department of Family Health as demanded by the Accreditation teams. This was before I became the Vice Chancellor. Mr. Agi still did not buy(even though he usurped the function) until he left. We have now bought the buses (at double the cost due to delay) and the departments have been accreditated!’

It will be recalled that I had stated in the preceding publications that the Vice-Chancellor is the chief procurement officer and chairman of tenders board of the University. In other words, in the era of Prof. James Epoke as UNICAL Vice Chancellor, Agi had already started his insubordination. If Agi could treat accreditation matter with this sense of levity it is therefore very obvious that Agi possessed little or no knowledge of the University system neither did he have an understanding of what mattered to the University. It was in his absence that these two departments got accredited in December 2016!

Thus, the phrase in Schedule 1, section 2(2) subsection 3 of the law establishing the University of Calabar which reads, the Bursar shall among other things be, ‘responsible to the Vice Chancellor for the day-to-day administration and control of the financial affairs of the University’ was of no meaningful importance to Agi. Well, Agi had reportedly held the opinion that he was only answerable to the Council of the University, but in the case of the accreditation it was Council that directed him purchase two two vehicles which he flagrantly refused. Ex-Bursar Peter Agi was neither answerable to the Vice-Chancellor the head of Management nor the Council. To who then was he responsible to? To himself, a self he could poorly manage. In the military, and during periods of war this strand of insubordination, disobedience, arrogance, spite, etc would incur the capital punishment.

It should be on record that Agi reinvented the wheel and made the Office of Bursar of the University of Calabar, in his tenure, to be superior to the Vice-Chancellor, who is the administrative head of the system.

Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Social Commentator