FG probes finances of 12 new varsities

• JAMB alleges sabotage of computer-based test

The Federal Government has inaugurated a seven-man panel to probe the utilisation of the take off grants for the 12 new federal universities established by the last administration.

A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Olufemi Bamiro is Chairman while Mr. Kefas M. Magaji is Secretary. Other members of the panel include Mr. S. L Abubakar, Mansur Ahmed, Umar Aliyu, Mr. Freddy Esenwa and Prof. Patrick Ehi Oshio.

The Director of Procurement in the Ministry of Education, Dr. Husseini Adamu yesterday said in Abuja that the inauguration of the panel, which the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, has endorsed, would take place next week Tuesday.

The panel has 12 weeks to complete its assignments and is charged amongst others, to: determine the actual amount released to the NUC by Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) as takeoff grant for projects for the twelve universities; identify and confirm the number of contracts awarded, including contract sums under the takeoff grants and ascertain that due process was followed in the award of the contracts for the projects, among others.

The vice chancellors of the 12 universities were directed to attend the inauguration while the executive secretaries of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and TETFund are expected to attend.

Meanwhile, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday said its attempt at perfecting the Computer-Based Test, (CBT) was being sabotaged by vested interests that felt threatened by the success being recorded.

However, the board stated that, despite the attempt, it would not go back on its plans, noting that CBT, as an examination mode had come to stay, as far as the conduct of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) was concerned in Nigeria.

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, who made the disclosure, specifically cited a preliminary mock trial conducted by JAMB on Monday, where he alleged that one of the two telecommunications service providers hired for the exercise reported system breakdown during the exact period of the trial.Oloyede assured that, rather than giving excuses, his management would continue to work towards achieving results.