FUNAAB: Ex-DVC refunds N1.4m to escape prosecution

APPARENTLY to escape prosecution and yield to the directive of the former Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) in Ogun State, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development), Prof. Felix Kolawole Salako, has returned N1.4 million into the university purse.

Salako refunded the money via bank draft issued by the FUNAAB branch of the Guaranty Trust Bank last Wednesday at 9.15am.

“It was in respect of the money collected for children wedding ceremony as allocated for members of Governing Council,” the source explained.

The credible source explained that the Governing Council of the university has been thrown into confusion following the insistence of Ogunlewe that all members who collected “illegal” money from the university must return them to avoid prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“Peace has eluded the Governing Council since Senator Ogunlewe advised them to return all monies collected from the Vice-Chancellor; they have been in jittery mood because I think they are afraid of being prosecuted and sent to jail,” the source said.

The source added: “I can tell you authoritatively that more members of the council will pay money back into the purse of the university.  Just let us wait for this new week to know how many of them would refund their ‘illegal’ money.”

It would be recalled that Ogunlewe had last Thursday refunded the controversial N4 million, part of the infractions that landed him into the net of the anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into the coffers of the university.

The money, GatewayMail gathered, may be his share of the interests accrued over the university money that the management kept in a fixed deposit.

Source at the university said that Ogunlewe, who resigned his position in the university last Wednesday, barely three days after he alongside the embattled FUNAAB Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olusola Oyewole and erstwhile Bursar, Mr. Moses Ilesanmi, were released from detention took the decision before the hearing of the suit before the court.

Ogunlewe, Oyewole and Ilesanmi had last Friday appeared before an Ogun State High Court sitting in Abeokuta over corruption allegations.

They faced 18 count charges leveled against them by the EFCC, which included misappropriation of N800 million belonging to the university.

Sources further said that the former Chairman, Governing Council of the university, sent his Personal Assistant to pay the money into FUNAAB account.

A source disclosed that the ex-Minister of Works allegedly issued a First Bank of Nigeria Plc cheque for the refund, particularly after he and council members at their November 18, 2016 meeting indicted themselves for collecting series of money from the university, though the payments were approved by the Vice-Chancellor.

“He (Ogunlewe) sent his PA to pay a First Bank cheque of N4 million, which was drawn in the name of the university,” the source said.

The source added: “His larger family members prevailed on him to return the money that implicated him.  From the record of the council meeting of last two Thursday, November 18, Ogunlewe and other council members accepted their blame.”

The source added that it was at the last council meeting that Ogunlewe ordered his colleagues to return whatever they “illegally” collected from Oyewole before the EFCC would drag them to court.

“And he (Ogunlewe) directed that all those council members who have collected illegal monies should promptly pay back into FUNAAB account,” the source further stressed.

The source further told GatewayMail that besides Ogunlewe who collected N6 million as “gifts” over the wedding of his two daughters, Oyewole too awarded himself N5 million for his daughter’s wedding.

Similarly, it was gathered that five other professors collected about N2 million each for children’s wedding or father’s burial.  14 council members traveled four times overseas in batches within three years.  There are other sharp practices too within the council.