SSANU UNIZIK: 163 million Naira Fraud Allegation, Attempt To Run Me Down – Dr Nwangwu

The Chairperson, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Nnamdi Azikiwe University Chapter, Dr Njideka Nwangwu has described the recent allegation of 163 million Naira Fraud levelled against her as an attempt to smear her.

Dr Nwangwu stated this in a rebuttal made available to Newspathfinder on Sunday, 11th August 2024.

According to her, the fraud allegation by the treasurer of the association, is a calculated attempt to run her down describing it as frivolous, unfounded and baseless.

The rebuttal read:

REBUTTAL: N163 MILLION SECRETARIAT BUILDING PROJECT SCANDAL ROCKS SSANU, UNIZIK

Dear All,

Since Comr. Anthonia Chukwudi has chosen to dance naked in the public, it will not be our duty to hide the many wrinkles of her deformed body from the public. The little bird that enters the ring of the hawk dance must have someone beating the Surugede drums for her. But the child that jumps into the Surugede dance does not know that Surugede is the dance of the spirits. Let me respond to the many unfounded allegations that Comr. Anthonia Chukwudi has been used to level against me. 

First, as at 21st June, 2024, the date of the petition against the Chairperson of SSANU, Comr. Dr. Njideka Nwangwu, by the Treasurer of SSANU, Unizik, Comr. Anthonia Chukwudi, the total amount that had gone into SSANU, Unizik Secretariat Building from SSANU Unizik purse since the MoU with Theolas Impex Investment Limited was N33,793,000 and not N163m or N150m as alleged by Anthonia Chukwudi the Treasurer (See the breakdown below). Even, the amount she listed in her publication was not up to N163m. Probably the treasurer was having issues with simple arithmetic.

Second, the Chairperson (Signatory A) cannot make any financial transaction from the Union account without the Treasurer (Signatory B) or the Secretary, Comr. Boniface Ozoemena Nkwuaku (Signatory C). Anthonia Chukwudi as the Treasurer is in possession of every detail of the Union’s financial transactions. I challenge her to publish the break down of the N163m spent on the Secretariat Building she alleged.

Secondly, may I explain that this whole issue started when in the Congress meeting of SSANU, Unizik held on 22th March, 2023, the Chairperson of SSANU, Unizik, Comr. Dr. Njideka Nwangwu made a complaint to the Congress on how the Secretary of SSANU, Unizik Comr. Boniface Nkwuaku and the Treasurer, Comr. Anthonia Chukwudi had hijacked, subverted and managed the account of SSANU Unizik against the extant laws of SSANU. She stated that the duo denied the Chairperson the right to get alert of the Union’s accounts and that she could not give account of the transactions in the Union’s account (cash inflow and out flow). That all efforts to correct the anomalies proved abortive – that the Chairperson depends on them to run the Union financially, which was retrogressive. There and then the Congress constituted a Committee to investigate the issues raised. The Congress Committee, after their investigation, recommended suspension and warning for the Secretary, Comr. Boniface Nkwuaku and the Treasurer, Chukwudi Anthonia respectively. The Congress Committee was the Committee which the Treasurer Chukwudi Anthonia referred to as a Kangaroo Committee in the publication that led to this rebuttal. It was that Congress Committee that restored normalcy to SSANU, Unizik accounts, specifically on 3rd May, 2023. Only then did the Chairperson, Comr. Dr. Njideka Nwangwu, start receiving the alerts of the transaction of the Union of which she is the Chief accounting Officer. Since that very May, 2023 to date (one year now), the Treasurer, the Secretary and their cohort Stephen Nwosu (Mgba Mgba) who had forwarded to a social media that he will “give Njideka Nwangwu Wotowoto” had not rested. Hence the publication “N163Million Secretariat Building Project Scandal Rocks SSANU Unizik” – when the total amount that SSANU Unizik had invested in the project was N33,793,000 (N23,493,000 on procurement of building materials and N10,300,000 as money deposited into the Contractor’s account) as at the period of her publication. My dear public, you need to see for yourself, the beautiful, massive and very impressive SSANU, Unizik Secretariat Building that they wanted to stall for selfishness, greed and envy. The Treasurer Comr. Anthonia Chukwudi, to whom all the Purchase vouchers were being handed over and all the transfers done by her and the Chairperson, could not account for the exact SSANU financial commitment on the project. My dear good public, SSANU Unizik does not have such amount of money, let alone being looted as alleged – if we had, we would have had no need for a financier of this project in the first instance.  

May I use this opportunity to declare to the public and the University Community, that any financial dealings in SSANU, Unizik before May 3rd, 2023, was masterminded by Comr, Boniface Nkwuaku. To buttress on this, Boniface Nkwuaku has his method of depositing money into SSANU, Unizik bank accounts and withdrawing same from the accounts at will. All these were discovered by SSANU, Unizk Branch Exco in June 2023, when they considered their bank transactions from 2018 to 2023 when the Chairperson started receiving alerts of the Union’s transactions. The Exco immediately queried him via their letter to him dated 5th July, 2023, to explain on certain deposits and withdrawals he made into SSANU, Unizik accounts. No wonder Anthonia Chukwudi and Boniface Nkwuaku ensured that Comr. Dr. Njideka Nwangwu, the Chairperson of SSANU, Unizik and the Chief accounting officer does not receive alerts to SSANU, Unizik accounts transactions from 2016 – 2021 at the first instance (the first tenure), and from 2021-2023 at the second instance (the second tenure). In each of the tenures he ensures he cows the Treasurer involved and dolls her. The entire members of Exco of SSANU, Unizik except Comr. Anthonia Chukwudi (because she was having her fair share) only realized these in May, 2023 and that was when their eyes cleared. Comr. Anthonia Chukwudi and Comr. Boniface Nkwuaku made my stewardship of SSANU, Unizik so frustrating, but for the love of God, I was busy achieving other dreams of mine, since I saw those things as distractions to prevent me from achieving my set goals. To the glory of God, I have achieved virtually, all that I wanted to do for SSANU, Unizik and is now ready for higher goals. 

May I also inform that till date, Comr. Boniface Nkwuaku is yet to provide replies to the fraudulent issues raised by the Exco in that letter from the Exco to him since 2023, instead, he and his cohorts wanted to run down the Chairperson, the entire Exco of Unizik and SSANU, Unizik in general. No wonder hidden wolves suddenly put up strategies to hijack the leadership of SSANU, Unizik – GOD forbid! He has invested so much on this vessel to allow it to be destroyed. 

Again, SSANU had an agreement which was approved by the Congress on this project, dully signed by the Chairperson of SSANU, the Secretary, the Zonal President and the Contractor. There was also a dedicated project account for this project as a norm of the Contractor/Benefactor for proper checks and balances, clarity, and ease of accountability of the finances for such specified projects, with the project facilitator and the Contractor/Benefactor’s representative as the signatories to that dedicated account. The Chairperson of SSANU, Unizik, Comr. Dr. Njideka Nwangwu is the facilitator of this project and also the Chief accounting officer of SSANU, Unizik who is the beneficiary of the Project (SSANU, Unizik Secretariat Building).  

May I also inform that the idea to procure materials was approved by the Exco having been given the approval by the Congress that whatever could be done to get our Secretariat completed and commissioned within the shortest possible time should be done by the Exco. This was also reiterated in the Exco meeting of May 10th, 2024. More so, when this project was stalled for almost 6 months, immediately after the wood work at the decking level, due to rise in prices of building materials to the tune of above 300% and the economic quagmire that suddenly started in November, 2023. The report of the eventual speedy progress of the project when we started procuring some materials to site was tendered at the Emergency Congress of 4th June, 2024, and the Congress also reaffirmed the trust and hope they vested on the Chairperson and the Exco on this project, visited the site, were amazed, praised God, prayed, commended the Chairperson and the Exco and reiterated their approval for the Exco to continue on the job as earlier approved.  

Every other person was overwhelmed with the pace of work on this project, except the Treasurer and her cohorts. She approach the Project Manager, castigated the Chairperson and asked him to countersign the purchase receipts handed over to her by the Chairperson before payments were made. When he refused, and directed her to follow due procedure to such moves, she insulted and embarrassed him, saying she was disappointed in him. The project manager immediately called and complained to the Exco through the Chairperson who in turn informed the Exco of this ugly development. The Exco cautioned the Treasurer, urged her to always follow due process as advised and to always revert to the Exco wherever necessary. Despite all these, she continued to the extent of compelling him to speak with the Secretary who had travelled outside the Country on phone call– saying that the Secretary was the right person to speak with on the project. Though the Project Manager did not succumb to her threats but, he came physically and reported this act to the Exco in their meeting of 24th July, 2024 where he threatened to stop the project if this continued. The Exco pleaded with him not to stop, since the Treasurer and her cohorts wanted the project to be an abandoned one, and that his stopping the project, would be granting their devilish heart desires. The Exco pleaded with him to ignore her and her antics, and to forge ahead with the good job at the building site. The Exco had also requested the Treasurer to explain the reasons behind her actions and advised her properly, but she was bent on her ignorant and wicked moves. The Exco also wondered what she wanted to achieve and why she does not have regards for a constituted authority like the Branch Executive Committee or the Congress, which she is part of. And out of 10 Exco members, she only has regards for the Secretary. The Exco however, noted from her attitude that something is wrong somewhere.   

If not for the deliberate attempt of the Treasurer and her cohorts to stall this project and hand it over as an abandoned project, how would a project plan start in 2018, and in 2024, 7 years later, the discussions on the plan was still continuing on the project, just because the Secretary who had travelled for 6 months now is not there to plan the strategies for the eventual stalling of the project for the second time. More so, when this Secretary was the reason for the first stalling, If she had good intensions, why did she not, as the treasurer, force the Secretary Comr. Boniface Ozoemena Nkwuaku to purchase the building materials he was given money for in 2019. Instead, she joined hands with him and stagnated the project – they have failed this time around, because, the SSANU, Unizik Building project, which is Comr. Dr. Njideka Nwangwu’s brain child, is now being roofed and almost completed. For the role of Comr. Boniface Nkwuaku in Anthonia Chukwudi’s emergence as the Treasurer of SSANU, Unizik, she takes orders from him, while ignoring the Chairperson and other Exco members. No wonder she pretended in her claim before the BEC, when issues finally arose, that three months into her tenure as the Treasurer, that Comr. Boniface Nkwuaku, the Secretary had refused to hand over the cheque books of the union’ accounts to her. Only for the Exco to later discover that he was syphoning the Union’s fund with the cheques and she, Anthonia Chukwudi, the Treasurer was having her fair share of the syphoned funds from the Secretary. Well, the story of how Chukwudi Anthonia and Comr. Boniface Nkwuaku cowed the Exco is a story for another day. To the glory of God, the rest of the Exco members are now discovering what I, Comr. Dr. Njideka Nwangwu saw and passed through. Only now, she is becoming concerned and confused as contained in her letter to the National President. She tends to forget that between 2016 and 2023, I was a lone voice in the Exco and that was how she deprived me some of my entitlements as the Chairperson including the repair of the Union’s vehicle. But I ignored and condoned all their excesses because I have a focus which I was determined to achieve. Today, I am glad the Lord has seen me through. Hence, this scandal came so late.

This is just very few months to SSANU, Unizik next election and the duo and their cohorts are dragging other Exco members to the mud, just to hijack the leadership come March, 2025 and bring in their cohorts – the wolves with whom they are planning these moves, on board. Comr. Anthonia Chukwudi, did not even allow the National President to carry out any investigation on this matter before she resorted to social media publications. What is she trying to achieve that made her not to accord simple respect to the National President of the revered union SSANU she claimed she had concern for. Just because she Chukwudi Anthonia and Comr. Boniface Nkwuaku want to hijack the leadership of SSANU, Unizik and to reap where they did not sow but attempted destruction. God forbid, SSANU, Unizik have come a long way. Wolves in sheep clothing cannot work again – Comr. Dr. Njideka Nwangwu’s led administration was out to make SSANU, Unizik, an envy. To God be the glory, for He has written something good with Comr. Dr. Njideka Nwangwu in SSANU, Unizik, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Community and humanity in general. 

Anthonia Chukwudi stated in her publication that the building was started in 2018, and just some months back, Comr. Dr. Njideka Nwangwu muted the idea of continuation of work to the Branch Executive Committee and to look for a benefactor. She forgot that the search for a benefactor by the Exco lasted for over a year and six (6) months 2019 to 2020. The search was in 2021 extended to the members of the Congress. In 2023 when neither the Exco members nor the Congress members could get a benefactor to build the Secretariat for us to defray the bill on installment basis every month, God decided to still use Comr. Dr. Njideka Nwangwu to attract the benefactor: Theolas Impex Investment Company Limited. God is still saying and writing something with this Comr. Dr, Njideka Nwangwu who is a pencil in His hands.

Comr. Anthonia Chukwudi became the treasurer in March, 2021 and as such a NEC member, conversant with the extant laws of SSANU, fully aware that there are 3 signatories in the Union’s account but that only the Chairperson receives the alert. When only she (Treasurer) and Comr. Boniface Nkwuaku (Secretary) received the alerts, she never raised alarm but, immediately they were removed from receiving the alerts, she became confused and concerned – what a calculated move and which goes to prove their plots of syphoning the union’s funds the more. Now, the rest of the Exco members have discovered the truth, traced their way and made up their mind to stand for the truth, Comr. Anthonia Chukwudi, and cohorts at the Regular Congress of 16th July, 2024 opposed the zonal directive that their matter be referred to the Exco Committee, since they knew every truth about the issue at hand and which is the right procedure as contained in SSANU Constitution in prosecuting such matters. She lied to the Congress of SSANU, Unizik that the case had been resolved and the Investigative and Disciplinary Committee dissolved. But when the Congress which is a higher authority finally resolved that the case should be reverted to the Exco, her cohorts, headed by Stephen Ifeanyi Nwosu (aka Mgba Mgba), who is running a parallel government with the legally constituted SSANU Executive Committee, then reported that a petition has been written against the Chairperson by the Treasurer, Anthonia Chukwudi on looting unfounded N163m on SSANU Building project. Neither the Exco, the Congress nor the Zone is aware of this petition and she claims to be an Executive member of the union who should know the Constitutional provisions for such matters – well, she was so desperate in executing their calculated attempt to distract the focus of SSANU, Unizik and which is not possible. 

The Chairperson may not be surprised if in the long run, they provide falsified receipts to this effect – that was why she was so desperate to get the signature of the project Manager of Theolas Impex Investment Limited, such that they would falsify his signature and bring up a fake purchase receipts to make the looted funds up to N163m, after all, the Secretary Comr. Boniface Nkwuaku is a guru in falsification of documents as evidenced in his dealings including but not limited to cheques and documents, and, which led the Branch Exco into querying him in 2023 on such dealings. He even ceased the stub cheque leaves to the dubious transactions. The Exco at its meeting of May 5, 2023 had asked him to make available the stubs to the withdrawals he made against the actual amounts as approved by the Chairperson. This was the reasons behind Anthonia Chukwudi’s insistence on her claim at the floor of the Congress of 16th July, 2024 that the case has been resolved by the Zonal Executive Committee. This was a deliberate attempt to stop the Exco from getting to the root of the matters. She subsequently demanded for the dissolution of the Investigative and Disciplinary Committee of SSANU, Unizik, and this further goes to say a lot on the issue. One wonders the basis for the treasurer’s claim that the matter has been resolved on one hand, and her allegation that the Chairperson had looted N163m on the other hand. Their plan to subsequently hijack the leadership of SSANU, Unizik also speaks volumes, hence, the brain behind their creation of an illegal parallel platform called “Concerned SSANU NAU platform” with Stephen Ifeanyi Nwosu (Mgba Mgba), who the Investigative and Disciplinary Committee described as being so rude, arrogant, lacking decorum and comportment, as the admin to that Illegal SSANU platform – God forbid that SSANU, Unizik should fall into the hands of these wolves. 

May I also inform that Stephen Ifeanyi Nwosu (aka Mgba Mgba) has been suspended from SSANU, Unizik for failure to shut down an illegal Concerned SSANU NAU whatsapp platform in which he was the administrator; for misleading SSANU members and directing them against SSANU, National directives among which was the recent IPPIS validation by the staff of tertiary Institutions and his other acts of fallacy intended to mislead/deceive SSANU members of the Congress.

It is worthy of note that the Treasurer. Comr. Anthonia Chukwudi who alleged in her petition of 21st June, 2024 that she was being coerced to sign monies for the Secretariat building, still signs cheques and releases money for the project up till August, 2024, may be without coercion this time. From her antecedents, Anthonia Chukwudi is a very difficult and unprogressive person. Her records in the Sports Directorate reveal that she fought with her former boss (a very elderly man), the then Director of Sports, Unizik, petitioned against him, sent him to the University Investigative and Disciplinary Committee. Same Anthonia petitioned against one of her colleague – an elderly man. Their matter was referred to the University Misconduct Panel and she also failed. Further to the above, the Treasurer, Anthonia Chukwudi petitioned against a magnanimous Professor of the University who was the Chairman of University Sports Committee and the matter also was handled accordingly. Her series of petitions and ill feelings against colleagues and superiors knows no bounds. Therefore, when the news of her petition to the National President of SSANU came to me, I was not surprised.  

On the issue of the old Sienna Vehicle of SSANU, Unizik, may I explain that the old vehicle was in a very bad shape when it was handed over to me in 2016. In 2018, the vehicle became so bad that it parks at every interval. It was at the 2nd Quarter Congress meeting of SSANU, Unizik, in June 2018, at the Utility Building of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, where some members of the Congress registered their displeasure on the way the vehicle spoils and stops their Chairperson at risky, dangerous and odd places, that a motion was moved, seconded and approval was given for the sale of the old vehicle and the purchase of a new one. For paucity of fund, SSANU, Unizik only succeeded in purchasing a new vehicle in 2020. The SSANU, Unizik Exco at its meeting of 17th October, 2022 discussed extensively on the state of the vehicle, sent some Exco members to the Mechanic workshop where it had been parked for three (3) years. In that meeting, the Treasurer, Comr. Anthonia Chukwudi, was directed to work together with the Chairperson to see what could be done to that vehicle, more so, when she lives at Nkpor which was close to Onitsha where the mechanic workshop was located. She vehemently refused to do as directed and the Exco then requested the PRO, Comr. Confidence Okafor to visit the workshop and report back to the Exco. The PRO did visited the mechanic workshop and reported that the vehicle was in a very bad shape and would better be sold off instead of wasting money on it. The Exco then resolved to sell it out. The Exco concluded discussions on the sale of the old sienna on 9th November, 2022 and the proceeds was deposited into SSANU account by the buyer. The Congress was duly informed of the sale during the 2022 End of year Congress/party. The Treasurer, Anthonia Chukwudi, was aware of all these and she also received the alert of the payment of this vehicle. How come 2 years later, she started complaining of Congress approvals to this effect.    

The publisher had it that he made efforts to interview the Secretary, Comr. Boniface Nkwuaku, but found that he travelled abroad for medical reasons. If I may ask, is the Secretary the only Exco that should be interviewed on this issue – what about the Chairperson and other Exco members? What a calculated drama.  

Again, Comr. Anthonia Chukwudi at the Exco meeting of Tuesday, 6th July, 2024 started harassing and raining abuses on every Exco member, just to heat up the environment, and when she felt she had heated up the environment enough, she started recording and posting the noisy environment to her proxy who eventually sent to their illegal Concerned SSANU NAU platform where they castigated the Exco members, and which they claimed as reported in the illegal platform that the Exco was beating her up because she refused to sign another cheques – just to justify her claim that she was being coerced to sign cheques. 

These go to prove the publication by the Treasurer of SSANU, Unizik, Comr. Anthonia Chukwudi as frivolous, unfounded and baseless, hence, this rebuttal to brief the public on the true position of the financial ongoing in SSANU, Unizik. The proofs in the above regards are intact to further corroborate my clarification and I demand to be summoned legitimately to defend my position.

Comr. Dr. Njideka Nwangwu

Chairperson,

Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), 

Nnamdi Azikiwe University Branch