Alumni Crises. “KSU FRAUD” – SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT
Our attention has been drawn to an unfortunate publication on https://observerstimes.com, https://www.capitalpost.ng and several other news blogs, with headlines like “Kogi State University female VC dragged to Court over alleged diversion of N31Million”, “KSU Fraud: Thirty One Million Naira Prince Abubakar Audu University Fraud, VC and Others Drag To Court”, deliberately set up to mislead the public and cause grave disaffection to the person of the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Marietu OhuneneTenuche.
May we start by stating the most repulsive fact that, contrary to the purpose of Alumni Associations, the world over, the Kogi State University Management has been, for many years, dealing with a few individuals, who, rather than seek to pursue the ideals of an Alumni Association, resorted to devising ways of milking the University dry, at all cost.
To set the records straight, the general public should be informed that Suit No.: AYHC/03/2023 pending before the Kogi State High Court of Justice, sitting in Anyigba, has no link whatsoever, with an allegation of fraud against the office and person of the Vice Chancellor of the University.
It is no longer news that the Alumni Association of Kogi State University has been enmeshed in leadership crises for years now, with two factions, all laying claim to legitimacy as National Executives of the Association. The crises have crystalised into legal action and counter legal actions in court.
While the various actions are still pending, one of the factions, championed by two individuals, in particular, approached the University on several occasions, demanding funds and that they be invited to attend Meetings of the Governing Council of the University, on the basis that they are the legally elected national executives of the University Alumni Association, since an Upper Area Court, sitting in Lokoja had granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the other faction from parading themselves as the legally elected Executives of the Alumni Association, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
Clearly seeing that the contents of the Interlocutory Injunction is entirely different from the claim of that faction, the University would rather not invite any of the factions until the matter pending in court over legitimacy of each faction’s claim to the national leadership of the association is resolved.
Angered by the decision of the University not to give recognition to their faction, the arrow-heads of that faction filed an action against the University and made the Vice Chancellor a co-defendant. Their claim in the case is that the University be mandated to invite their acclaimed National President to Council Meetings and that previous Council Meetings held to their exclusion and the decisions taken at such meetings, be nullified.
They are also asking the court to mandate the University to give account of what they term Alumni finances (one wonders if the University is the treasurer or financial secretary of the association) as well as an order mandating the University to return their original certificate of incorporation, which they claim is in the custody of the University.
It is curious that an Alumni Association cannot have a grip on itself, including claiming that its original certificate of incorporation is in custody of the University, as if it was the University that registered the body in the first place. What else can’t they claim from the University?
A simple check at the High Court, Anyigba Registry or a call to the University Management or its lawyers, would have revealed this fact. But with the nature of copy and paste, lazy journalism and journalism of mischief of this generation, the publishers of the unfortunate news, went to town with the stories they probably were told by the individuals who are bent on bringing their alma mater and her leadership to disrepute, to satisfy their personal aggrandisement, under the guise of “pursing the interest of the alumni association”, without an attempt at verifying the news.
What is more? Is it the derogatory manner the Vice Chancellor was referred to in those publication as “KSU female VC” directly, taking a swipe at the gender of the person of the Vice Chancellor of the University with several conjectures?
LET ALL THE PUBLISHERS of the unverified news, including but not limited to https://observerstimes.comand https://www.capitalpost.ng, retract their publication with an unreserved apology, published in the main stream media, including The Punch Newspapers, Vanguard, the Nations and on their own platforms, too, within the next 24 hours. For avoidance of doubt, the publications are libelous of the person of the Vice Chancellor of Prince Abubakar Audu University (formerly known as Kogi State University), Anyigba.
Principal Assistant Registrar Legal.
Mrs Saudat Saliu.
