By Our Correspondent
The University of Uyo has been dragged into the spotlight of a widening corruption storm following a series of petitions lodged by Policy Alert, a civic watchdog group, to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Governing Council of the University itself.
The petitions, all dated August 25, 2025, and signed by Policy Alert’s Executive Director, Tijah Bolton-Akpan, accuse the university authorities of two grave infractions: illegally deducting funds from students’ loans and engaging in irregular contract awards and contract splitting. Together, the allegations paint a disturbing picture of an institution entrusted with nurturing Nigeria’s future leaders but instead allegedly exploiting and defrauding them.
Students’ Loans Turned Into a Trap:
One of the petitions sent to the ICPC details how Uniuyo imposes “spurious levies and extra charges on students that are beneficiaries of the NELFUND, making them pay amounts ranging between ₦20,000 and ₦50,000 more than their colleagues in the same year/programme of study.”
The group warned that this practice is “counterproductive and an affront to the laudable initiative of the federal government of Nigeria to increase access to tertiary education through the Student Loan Initiative.”
The petition further thundered: “It denies the students access to a significant portion of the loan amount, which they will ultimately repay in the future, as the money deducted by the University is part of the upkeep loan meant for the students. It is criminal in all its ramifications.”
Students, who expected the NELFUND scheme to ease their financial burdens, now say they feel short-changed and betrayed. One student, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisal, lamented: “It is as though the university is punishing us for accepting government loans. The very money meant to keep us in school is being siphoned back before it even reaches us.”
Policy Alert has demanded that the ICPC “direct the University to immediately refund all illegal deductions to the affected students.”
Contracts in Pieces: A Pattern of Splitting:
The second set of petitions, addressed to both the EFCC and ICPC, accuse Uniuyo of a suspicious pattern of contract awards that suggest systematic contract splitting—a well-known tactic to bypass procurement thresholds and oversight.
“From documents available to us, this may not be the case,” Policy Alert wrote, “as shown below,” before listing a series of transactions, including:
Printing of Uniuyo News Bulletin: ₦10.4 million (April 18, 2025) and ₦12.75 million (April 24, 2025) to the same contractor—Messrs Uniuyo Printing Press.
Diesel Supply to the Directorate of Works: Multiple contracts awarded within weeks to the same or related companies, including Messrs Idora Nigeria Ltd and Messrs I. Dekon Energy Limited. Each contract is worth ₦19.89 million, with awards made on July 21, July 23, July 25, and August 6, 2025.
In one striking case, Idora Nigeria Ltd received back-to-back diesel supply contracts worth ₦13.26 million and ₦19.89 million within a span of one week. Days later, I. Dekon Energy Limited was handed three identical diesel supply contracts—each at exactly ₦19.89 million—over the course of just three weeks.
Policy Alert described these awards as “flagrant cases of contract splitting designed to circumvent procurement thresholds and oversight.”
The Integrity Question:
The petitions underscore a larger crisis of integrity at the University of Uyo. On one hand, students—Nigeria’s struggling youths—are allegedly being fleeced of vital loan funds. On the other, millions of naira in public resources are being disbursed through questionable contract practices.
“The University of Uyo, as a public institution, is bound to observe the relevant laws and regulations on procurement. However, the documents available to us suggest otherwise,” the petitions noted.
The Road Ahead:
With the petitions now sitting at the ICPC, EFCC, and the Governing Council of Uniuyo, the onus is on the anti-graft agencies and university leadership to act swiftly and decisively. Nigerians will be watching to see if those entrusted with running one of the country’s federal universities are finally held accountable.
The scandal raises a searing question that cannot be ignored: Is the University of Uyo still a place of learning, or has it become another feeding trough for corruption?
