Printers petition Osunbor over N78m scandal at varsity

Uchechukwu Olisah, Benin City - 06.05.2008

THE Printers Association of Edo State has petitioned the state governor, Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, over an alleged N78 million scam on the establishment of a printing and publishing press at the Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma.

The association, in the petition dated 18 April 2008 and written by its counsel, M.E. Okojie, accused some members of the university authorities of being behind the alleged illegal move to establish the printing and publishing press with a view to monopolizing printing jobs in the institution.

Osunbor was said to have frowned at the proposal and refused to approve it since due process was not followed. He reportedly described the action as fraudulent and ordered the school authorities to do what was right by advertising the job for members of the public to have the opportunity of participating in a competitive bidding process.

The printers said that a highly placed member of the university’s Governing Council had concluded arrangements to build a private printing press and name it as the University Press with the intention to employ his agents to run it as the contractor.

“In his arrangement, all printing jobs which were hitherto done by different printers will now be done by this printing press alone. The said contractor will be paying the sum of #5,000,000.00 (Five Million Naira) annually to the university for a period of five years, thereafter, he will handover the press to the university, the printers stated.

The printers association further expressed the belief that the arrangement was designed in bad faith, greed and with a view to looting the university treasury, saying it would take the more 1000 printers who had been running printing jobs in university since its inception out of jobs.