Jobs for sale at Uniben, starting from N.3m to N.5m — Alleges Group in petition to President Buhari

AGENE GODWIN, Benin

Information has emerged on the existence of an employment racket inside the University of Benin which charges applicants for administrative and academic jobs between N300, 000 and N500, 000 to secure the positions. This is even as there is an official embargo on employment at the institution.

The embargo by the Governing Council of the University though officially in force appears to have been circumvented by the university’s authorities in the guise of generating revenue.

These revelations are contained in a petition by the UNIBEN Integrity group, a coalition of concerned members of staff and students of the university, to President Muhammadu Buhari and signed by one Alexander Egunatum, dated 5th October 2015.

The petitioners claim they want the President to probe the over 300 recent appointments so far made by the UNIBEN VC Professor Faraday Orumwense, who is fully aware of the ban on appointments having assumed office in November 2014.

They said, “the prevailing notion in the University of Benin is that there is an embargo on the appointment of new staff by the university; an embargo imposed by the governing council…but under the table, questionable appointments are being made every passing day”.

Furthermore the petitioners say, “a curious aspect of these dubious ‎appointments is that there is a syndicate put in place by the wife of the VC, to coordinate the recruitment of staff who are able to pay an agreed sum: N300, 000 for administrative jobs and N500, 000 for academic positions”.

However, contacted, an officer in the Public Relations department who said the press officer was outside the state on official duties, denied the allegations ‎saying the authors of the petition are faceless and should not be taken seriously.