The Secretary to Mkpat Enin local government council Mrs. Ekaette Usip has allegedly conspired with the supervisor for Education Hon. Uwem Ita and the students’ president Comrade Usenobong Ekponyoh to misappropriate funds meant to kick start the first batch of bursary payment to students of Mkpat Enin local government.
The INK NEWSPAPER learnt that the local government chairman Hon Ephraim Akpan had released funds running into millions to kick start the first batch of payment to the students, the said amount was expected to take care of two at least hundred students. We further learnt that the chairman had also informed the bursary committee set up to pilot the whole process of the payment to wait until he officially flag of the process and also the informed the students each institution that will be paid and the dates before they start the payment.
Surprisingly, the committee chaired by the secretary to the council, Mrs. Ekaette Usip rather than adhere to the chairman’s directives ran to the state owned radio station and announced that the committee will kick start the bursary payment the same day the announcement was made. On hearing the announcement, students of the affected who duly filled and returned the forms rushed to the council for the payment which was seven thousand naira only per student, The INK NEWSPAPER gathered that the following institutions were listed, Heritage polytechnic Eket, School of Health Tech, Temple gate Polytechnic and College of Education Afaha Nsit.
Competent sources disclosed to our reporter that out of these four Schools, only 46 students were actually paid in total, over 200 students others who came out since they heard the announcement were told that their names have been screened out by the committee without being given any cogent reasons.
Some members of National Association of Mkpat Enin Students (NAMES) while reacting described the whole process and a sham and called on the chairman and other well meaning citizens from Mkpat Enin to intervene before the lenience of the students get to the cross road.
Patience Udoh, a student of one of the chapter that was purportedly paid questioned how the committee will screen forms without the help the chapter presidents. Her words, “It is just so sad that this is happening in Mkpat Enin, how can you tell me that Mkpat Enin students in Heritage Polytechnic are not up 100”. She went ahead to register her disappointment with the chairman of the council and the entire bursary committee for playing such a poor work in the name of bursary or empowerment payment.
Another student who spoke on the condition of anonymity questioned why the committee will commence bursary without publishing the names of students who are qualified to receive the token. “To me it is clear that the committee were in for a shoddy deal because they refused to paste or publish the names of the beneficiaries, just like the concluded state bursary payment, the names of beneficiaries were published in local tabloids why must Mkpat Enin’s case be different, can’t our so called leaders do something right for once?. He questioned.
While confirming the allegations, the chairman Supreme Council of Chapter Heads Comrade Ikpong Akpan informed THE INK NEWSPAPER that the embezzlement by the council secretary and her committee was actually true “all you said is true, they collected a fat sum amount of money from the chairman and paid only a total of 45 students or there about, it is so sad, they are pushing us (students) to the wall and we they know that they know that the tenure of the current chairman will soon elapse” Comrade Ikpong added that the chairman on his part has not indicated enough zeal to convince the students that he will even do anything again about the payment.
The president of NAMES, College of Education Afaha Nsit confirmed that only 24 students from the school collected the money, he decried the situation were by more than hundred students who collected, filled and returned the forms suspended classes paid their way down to Mkpat Enin only to be told that their names were screened out. He confirmed that key chapter executives in his school were denied the money.
On his part the University of Calabar President of NAMES, Comrade Unwana Ufot said he was irked by the fact the world wide president of the students’ body Comrade Usenobong Ekponoy had compromised by telling the students to go ahead and receive the money without making public the names of students to be paid. Comrade Ufot also decried a situation where by area boys (thugs) were brought into the hall that the payment was made, he wondered if it was part of the terms and conditions of the committee.
The President of NAMES University of Uyo Chapter, Comrade Victor Ufot, said the failure of the committee to get back to the students and inform them how much was left was a clear indication that the committee had misuse the money given to them by the council. He pleaded with the chairman that the students had respected themselves enough and that it was time the council to act accordingly to the contract they entered with students to avoid any face off.
Investigation by this reporter revealed that key chapters like University of Uyo, University of Calabar, Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Akwa Ibom State University, University of Portharcourt and a host of others have not been paid.
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