The University of Benin may have lost over N800-million between January and July this year, being payments to its staffers who are either on leave of absence, resigned or retired or have died or had their names duplicated on the Payroll.
The discovery according to University sources was made when many of the staffers whose bank accounts were being credited with their salaries missed the recent biometric exercise conducted in the institution.
Sunday Pilot gathered that the payments which were made before the Vice-Chancellor Professor Osayuki Oshodin ordered the exercise dates back to 2012 when from January to July over N352million was lost by the institution. A similar amount was also lost from August to December and from January to.
Among the top officers who were found to be ‘receiving’ payments without their knowledge are a professor of Obstetrics and gynecology, Friday Okonofua who is on leave of absence at the Ford Foundation; Ovenseri Aibueku, a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education who is on political appointment with Edo state government; Igbafe Philip, a Professor of History who retired from the University less than a decade ago.
Of the officers whose identities were duplicated are tens of Security guards, Lab assistants, Porters, Nursing officers and Office Assistants, all with idenfiable bank accounts in various branches of the United Bank for Africa, Wema Bank and First Bank, all in Benin City.
Efforts to get the comments of the VC on the matter proved abortive as he was said to have traveled to Abuja for a crucial meeting regarding the ASUU strike.
