Opinion: Systemic Decadence In Abia State University Uturu (ABSU)

With great pains and in utter disbelief among ABSU students and the sponsors, in regards to the seemingly arbitrary, exploitative, rapacious, and vile policy and practices now officially instituted by the leadership of ABSU in terms of monetary transactions and/or some questionable payments by the students, the following questions become inescapably cogent:

#10, 000 (Ten thousand Naira) charge/payment for hiring of Academic Gowns for Matriculation, is considered scandalous. It beats ones imagination and sense of proper reasoning to understand why or to accept any excuses as the justifications for this excessively exorbitant charges/fees, imposed on students, by the University Management.

More so, Matriculation Ceremony is less significant compared to Graduation Ceremony, to warrant such absurd charges. Even, Graduation Ceremony, no matter what, shouldn’t attract such high charges for ordinary hiring of Academic Gowns, for a ceremony that’s designed to last ordinarily for just few hours.

Perhaps, there’s something really special about ABSU Gowns, but not disclosed, to justify this absurd charge,  different from the Gowns of other universities.

The only justifications, one can readily think of, are these charges are simply designed to fleece and exploit the students, who are ever at the mercy of the collectors and enforcers of these ridiculously outrageous charges.

Unmitigated greed and exploitative tendencies are the primary reasons for such absurd behaviour, practices, and oppressive systems, in ABSU.

I wish to be corrected or contradicted in my perspectives by superior, convincing arguments or reasonable explanations.

I am, wondering, if the VC, and his team members, as  University Administrators, ever paid such ridiculously high charges for Academic Gowns, as Undergraduates students or even as Postgraduates students, in their times, in any of the institutions these administrators passed through?

I am, in doubt, if such unbridled policy of mercantilist orientation and extortion were ever imposed on the VC and his team of administrators.

Surprisingly, or even,  unsurprisingly, the Academic Gowns in question, oftentimes, are in sordid, unserviceable conditions, and unfit for use for such highly regarded University program.

But the sum of #10, 000 is blatantly imposed for hiring these damaged outfits.

Worse case scenarios include, after imposing these exploitative charges, good number of the students are likely to be denied getting any Academic Gowns alloted to them.

Because these Gowns, oftentimes are in short supply, and insufficient to go round, despite the impositions of the  payments.

In such circumstances, no refund policy of the monies charged or paid, are ever considered or entertained by the University Management. Forfeitures of the monies is what follows naturally.

Is this practice a classic example of 419 in the University Systems?

More distressing is the circumstances surrounding the accountability, utilizations, or judicious and prudent disbursements/deployment of the fees/revenues realized from these “customs duty”, by the University Management.

On conservative estimate, about 5, 000 students would be matriculating this year.

5, 000 × #10, 000, is huge amount of revenue accruing from this singular source of charges.

What happens after these revenues are generated yearly from these Academic Gowns charges, beats hands down, ones imagination?

Staff salaries of about 14 months remain unpaid, despite these humongous revenues.

Why so?

Where are the monies channeled into?

Are the monies realized simply diverted into private pockets?

Who are the beneficiaries of these seemingly unaccounted for or misapplied revenues?

The Academic Gowns in question, are never replaced with new ones after many years in circulations and in use. Disfigured gowns are recycled year in, year out, as more monies are generated and imposed  as charges. Why such untenable practices in the University Systems?

There are just too many worrisome issues demanding proper interrogations and explanations by the VC and his team.

Some of these include namely:

Acceptance/Professional Fees

What are the Acceptance and Professional fees/charges paid by incoming students admitted into professional courses annually, are used for?

To equip the study environments of these programs? Or designed to enrich private pockets?

Nothing in place in ABSU, suggests the fees are judiciously or prudently utilized to enhance the study environments, as the Lecture Halls, particularly, are in sore states and pitiful conditions.

I wish to be corrected or contradicted by superior, convincing, verified, tenable, and validated arguments, supported by facts, contrary to my observations and remarks herein.

Particularly, in terms of proper accountability/utilizations, how are  such monies/revenues accounted for by the University Systems?

Hostels Accommodations Fees

What are the fees paid by the students for hostels accommodations used for?

Given the disturbing fact, the hostels are in dilapidated conditions and awfully unmaintained.

About 8 or more students occupy one room in the hostels. Conservatively, there about 300-400 students in a hostel.

Thus, #50, 000 × 300 students is humongous amount of revenue.

There are about 8 hostels housing hundreds of students. Meaning reasonable monies are generated from the hostels.

But the hostels and the basic facilities, including some beds are either completely damaged or in unusable conditions.

Notwithstanding, such unserviceable facilities are alloted to students, sometimes, on pairing basis to a bed and tight space, not considering the ominous health and safety implications, and other hazards associated.

How are the revenues generated from hostels’ fees spent by the University Management?

What are hostels’ revenues used for specifically?

In whose custody are the hostels’ revenues after the collections?

How are the various or sundry fees/charges (receipted or un-receipted) collected by the University Systems spent?

There are multiple sources of these sundry charges spread across the entire University Systems, and equate to double payments cleverly disguised by the University Systems.

What are revenues are used for?

In whose custody, after the collections?

I have repeated these questions for obvious reasons.

These questions are quite pertinent.

The Distinguished, Erudite Professors of Accounting Courses, Staff of the Bursary Unit, Staff of Internal Audit Unit, Staff of ABSU Micro Fiance Bank, and other financial gurus in the University Systems, can shed lights on these matters, if the VC, welcomes these enquiries.

There are many questions for the Erudite VC and his team of administrators. Suffice it for now.

Without mincing words, ABSU from all indications, in terms of the humongous revenues collections from the System, relative to seemingly unhidden systemic decay evident in ABSU, makes it highly difficult for one not to presume or draw conclusions that the entire ABSU Systems are serving as the “Cash Cow” for some individuals, across the spectrum of the University Community, raging from the upper echelons to the lowest cadres of the staff.

Extortions and extortionist systems seem to have been given the seal of approval in ABSU and equally practiced with impunity.

The students and the sponsors are the victims of the prevalent systemic decadence in ABSU.

Whereas the University Systems are the profiteers, even as the Vice Chancellor and his team members supervise the rut in the University Systems.

The Erudite VC needs to be consciously awaken to his duty and responsibility, as the Chief Custodian of the University Community.

Accountability, Credibility,  Due Diligence, Integrity, and Transparency in all ramifications, in big or small matters, need to instilled and instituted in ABSU Systems, particularly in accord with the philosophy of the Administration of HE Dr. Alex Otti, OFR.

In these contexts, effective and efficient management of the entire University Systems are designed to be practicalized concepts and pragmatic ideals.

These management concepts, particularly, fiscal ideals are not merely fancied theoretical rhetorics, in the final analysis.

It’s high time the Erudite Professor and VC of ABSU fixed the decadent systems in his custody as the Chief Executive.