I Was Threatened For Exposing Corruption — Sacked JAMB Director Tells Court
A sacked deputy director of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Mr Yisa Usman, on Wednesday, told the Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae of the National Industrial Court, Abuja, that he faced threats for exposing corruption at the board.
Usman disclosed this during cross-examination as sole witness in the suit he instituted against JAMB over his alleged unlawful dismissal.
Responding to questions by counsel to JAMB, A. A. Owonikoko, the witness admitted writing petitions to the National Assembly as well as other government agencies over alleged corruption under the current JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede.
He also admitted writing to the Attorney-General for the Federation, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Department of State Services.
Other agencies are the Minister of Education, Head of Service, National Human Rights Commission and Bureau of Public Procurement about alleged corruption, harassment, victimisation and procurement infractions, indicting the JAMB registrar as corrupt, Usman responded in the affirmative.
The aggrieved ex-staff member also confirmed receiving queries from the board and an invitation letter to appear before a disciplinary committee before his job was terminated.
According to Usman, he responded to the queries and wrote a protest letter against the composition of the committee.
He also confirmed writing an email reply to the invitation letter dated May 17, 2023, in response to the disciplinary committee’s invitation.
Owonikoko then asked Usman to read out the printout of the email message dated May 18, 2023, in open court.
The witness, while reading, said: “Dear Directors, this is a follow-up to the two queries issued to me. I received a letter of invitation on Tuesday, 16th May 2023, to appear before Disciplinary Committee.
“The attached is my response to the invitation for your information.
“This new development only renews my determination to continue with my quest for justice and my fight against the corrupt practices that characterise our organisation in the past six to seven years, which I stated in the letter, are perpetrated under the cover of the remittances made to the government.
“It is of note that I am invited to appear before the Disciplinary Committee while my contemporaries are invited to promotional examination to a substantive director.
“But I am not bothered because I do know for certain that God alone promotes. I am not deterred by this development, neither am I intimidated in any way.
“The fight against corruption and abuse of authority is the responsibility of every Nigerian. The law will take its course, no matter how long it takes. Thank you,” Usman read.
He told the court that his reply to the query was submitted in hard copy to his immediate superior and because he wanted all members of the management to be privy to what was going on, he also sent the message to the email addresses of the directors.
When Owonikoko told him that his email message was unrelated to the subject for which he was invited by the committee, Usman insisted that it was related.
While making reference to the petitions he wrote to the National Assembly and other agencies, the JAMB lawyer asked Usman to read out the last two paragraphs in his response to the disciplinary committee and he read thus:
“As a committed Nigerian citizen, my loyalty remains first to the nation before any individual. The fight against corruption is the responsibility of everyone.
“The threat of the registrar to cause me harm or have my appointment terminated will not deter me, neither will the continued attempt to malign me.
“I remain determined in the fight for justice and against the corrupt practices in the system. I will not back down for any reason until justice is done and seen to be done.
“And while I look up to God for complete respite, I wish to state here that my life has been under constant threat for the bold action I took to disclose the corrupt practices in JAMB and the abuse of authority by the Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede.
“I reported this to the DSS and the IGP previously. I am again stating it here that if anything happens to me, the Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, and his DFA, Mr. Mufutau Bello, should be held responsible.’’
The lawyer also asked him to read Paragraph 2 of the dismissal letter and he read thus:
‘‘This is sequel to the recommendation of the Directorate Staff Disciplinary Committee after due consideration of your written responses to the allegations of serious misconduct levelled against you.
“And also after taking cognisance of your letter of 17th May 2023, wherein you state never to appear before the Board staff disciplinary committee despite the formal letter of invitation requesting you to appear.’’
Usman, however, denied saying that he would never appear before the disciplinary committee, saying his letter of May 17, 2023, in response to the disciplinary committee’s invitation, was to reject the constitution of the committee as he was not sure of fair hearing.
He denied that the criminal charge preferred against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja was as a result of the investigation initiated against the board which were found to be unmeritorious.
Usman denied that when the present Registrar assumed office, he audited the finances and it was in the course of this that the investigating authorities came up with some of these infractions.
He told the court that there had never been any investigation into the activities of JAMB by investigating authorities since Oloyede assumed office.
Earlier, Justice Obaseki-Osaghae admitted the list of the claimant’s documents and statements on oath in evidence as presented by his lawyer, Mohammed Shuaibu, and marked as Exhibits C1-C5, CE1-CE23, and C6-C15 respectively.
The judge adjourned the matter until February 27 for the defendant to open its defence.
It would be recalled that Usman had filed a N150m suit against the board over alleged unlawful dismissal.
Usman, in the suit marked: NICN/ABJ/266/2023, dated September 29, 2023 and filed by his lawyer, Oseini Bamigbaye prayed the court to declare as illegal, the constitution of the Board’s disciplinary committee for failure to comply with Article 3.5.4 of the Board’s Staff Manual and Conditions of Service.
He also prayed the court to declare as null and void, the composition of the committee, mostly consisting of the board’s registrar and other directors who were beneficiaries of infractions exposed by him, basing his argument on a probable lack of fair hearing.
Usman urged the court to declare that “the claimant’s purported dismissal by the defendant without the consideration of the Committee’s Report by the defendant’s board is unlawful, illegal null and void”, while urging the court to restore to him his “full entitlements, benefits and perks due to him by virtue of his position.”
I Was Threatened For Exposing Corruption — Sacked JAMB Director Tells Court is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
