NCCE summons Prof Onwe, others for interrogation
Barring any last minute change of mind, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund ( TETFUND) I s set to blacklist the Abia State College of Education, Technical, Arochukwu ( ASCETA) ,following the alleged misappropriation of funds by the management of the institution.
Projects for which funds were released to the college are said to have been abandoned since the current Provost, Prof Vincent Onwe, assumed office last year .
Even the perimeter fencing for which the former Acting Provost, Mr Ikechukwu okorouga, has started work on has also been abandoned.
Miffed by the development and against the backdrop of avalanche of petitions against Prof Onwe, Tetfund set up a special investigation panel to look into the management of funds released for projects in ASCETA
In a letter to the Provost dated February 20th with reference number, Tetf/ES/IAU/SVE/2024/ vol 1, Tetfund directed a four man panel to investigate ASCETA
The report of the panel allegedly indicted the management so much so that Tetfund forwarded the contents to the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
Alarmed by the damning verdict against ASCETA management as contained in the report, NCCE has summoned Prof Onwe and his key officials to Abuja.
In a letter dated April 25th, 2024, Prof Vincent Onwe was directed to appear with the registrar, bursar, procurement officer, and the Tetfund desk officer.
In the letter with reference number NCCE/SO/Tetfund/74/ vol1/33, NCCE told the ASCETA Provost that the summon was in respect of ” significant delay in the execution of ongoing Tetfund projects, misappropriation and diversion of Tetfund funds”
The commission further noted that ” far reaching recommendations were made in the report by Tetfund ” against ASCETA.
Prof Onwe and his officials are to appear before the Executive Secretary of NCCE on May 7th, 2024, as indicated in the letter.
It is feared that based on the Tetfund report, ASCETA may be barred from participating in Tetfund activities until further notice.