Dissatisfied by the alleged financial activities going on in the Imo State University, Owerri, the state government yesterday ordered a forensic audit of the tertiary institution and directed that the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Victoria Adaobi Obasi vacate her seat on December 30.

The above were resolved by the weekly State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Uzodimma, held at Government House, Owerri. The above directive came as a result of the discoveries of alleged financial malfeasance uncovered by the Prof. Chinedu Nebo visitation panel contained in the report of the investigation conducted by the panel within 2012 -2019. Briefing journalists after the meeting, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, accompanied by the Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the governor, Oguwike Nwachuku, disclosed that the council directed the Registrar to raise a committee that should ensure that admissions to the institution must be based on merit, noting that it was to checkmate the incidences of “admission racketeering” in the citadel of learning.

Also, the council, according to Emelumba, ordered that a panel be set up to ascertain how lands belonging to the institution were allocated to developers and they have utilized them, making appropriate recommendations to the state government. They also directed the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to investigate and identify alleged discrepancies on the institution’s Institute of Continuing Education Programme (ICEP) without the approval of the senate of the university, with a view to ensuring that the erring officials were arrested and prosecuted.

The commissioner disclosed that a committee to review the Prof. Jude Njoku’s visitation panel report on the Eastern Palm University, Ogboko, Ideato South Local Council, be set up and make appropriate recommendations to the state government within one week, nothing that it would address the concerns of the people on the ownership issue of the institution.

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