A group of staff at the Federal College of Education (FCE), Gombe, has petitioned the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, accusing the institution’s Provost, Dr. Ali Adamu Boderi, of widespread corruption, abuse of office, and gross violation of federal regulations.
The petition, dated April 17, 2025, and obtained exclusively by WikkiTimes, was signed by a group identified as the FCE Gombe Staff Integrity Group. The group alleged that Dr. Boderi, with the support of officials at the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), has operated the college with impunity, diverting public funds and violating financial and administrative protocols.
₦500 Million Recruitment Fraud Alleged
The petition alleged that Dr. Boderi, in 2019, colluded with the head of the college’s consultancy unit to divert over ₦500 million meant for the recruitment of new staff. According to the group, the affected staff received only half a month’s salary after their employment, despite full disbursement of funds.
The petition further accuses the provost of not handing over official duties while on study leave at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State, to the deputy provost as required by law.
Council Findings Suppressed by NCCE Executive Secretary
The petitioners allege that a probe by the college’s Governing Council, specifically its Budget Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, uncovered multiple financial irregularities, including unauthorised contract awards, misappropriation of funds, and the illegal retention of public property.
One of the key findings involved the College’s Consultancy Unit, which has reportedly operated nine accounts for years without an audit. The unit’s director, Dr. Gazali M. Abdulhamid, has allegedly remained in office for seven years, well beyond the statutory four-year tenure.
Despite the Council issuing a letter to the provost demanding action, the petitioners claim that the Executive Secretary of the NCCE forced the Governing Council to retract the letter, thereby shielding the provost from accountability.
Procurement Abuse and Unexecuted Projects
The group also claimed that in August 2022, Messrs Urban Cribs Company was paid ₦99.7 million for upgrading the college fence, but no work was done; between 2022 and 2023, Messrs Spirent Nigeria Limited received a total of over ₦633 million for the construction of an indoor sports hall—another project that was never executed.
They added that in June 2023, an unnamed, unregistered company was paid ₦199.7 million for a staff training programme that never took place, while Messrs Habitat Blueprint Company was paid ₦668.2 million for electrical installations. The project’s status remains unclear.
Another ₦33.9 million was disbursed out of a ₦40 million contract for the computerisation of the college’s bursary, procurement, and registry units—yet the system remains non-functional.
In total, the petition claims that ₦1.8 billion was spent on “constituency projects” in August 2023 without approval from the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Provost Allegedly Bribed Council Members
Following the Governing Council’s decision to reconstitute the board of directors of the college’s consultancy unit and approve a forensic audit, the petitioners allege that Dr. Boderi made unsolicited payments of ₦500,000 each to several external council members in a suspected attempt to reverse earlier decisions.
Some members reportedly rejected the payments and returned the funds, reinforcing suspicions of bribery.
The petition also accuses the provost of breaching monetisation policies by retaining five official vehicles, all chauffeur-driven and maintained with public funds. Similarly, the college’s former bursar allegedly still holds on to an official Hilux vehicle that has not been returned.
The petitioners called on the Minister of Education to immediately launch an independent investigation into the allegations and to sanction all individuals found culpable.
“The provost has boasted repeatedly that no petition against him will succeed as long as he can deploy money to bury it,” the group wrote.
The provost, Dr. Boderi, declined to comment on the petition. He however confirmed knowledge of the petition but argued that it was written by faceless individuals who impersonated staff of the institution.
He added that the College’s Governing Council has set up a committee to investigate the matter.
EFCC Investigates College
WikkiTimes could not independently confirm if the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had received the petition.
However, WikkiTimes obtained an exclusive letter from the EFCC dated April 15, 2025 requesting details from the Provost. The letter noted that the anti-graft agency had asked the Provost to furnish it with financial information, a list of contracts and revenue.
When WikkiTimes presented the letter to an official of the commission, he confirmed that the letter emanated from the EFCC zonal office in Gombe. He, however, said he would not say anything on the matter as he was not authorised to speak to the press.
“That is our letter. It is from EFCC,” the source who spoke anonymously told WikkiTimes, because he does not have the authority to speak on the matter.
“But I can not confirm if any petition has been submitted to the commission,” the source said.
