The Senator Representing Cross River North Senatorial District, Dist. Sen. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, has vowed to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and all parties involved in a bid to unravel the true ownership of the University.
The lawmaker who made this disclosure via social media while reacting to a comment on his post, added that he wouldn’t wait for the incoming administration to act, rather he’ll take the bull by the horn by approaching law enforcement agencies and the Court. In his words ” we will not wait for any Government. I will go to Court with a Suit and personally do a Petition to the EFCC. We are not fools. We will go public.”
His Post Reads; “So the British Canadian College, Obudu is privately owned. So funds from the Cross River State Universal Basic Education Commission can be appropriated on a Private University. Can SUBEB fund Tertiary Institutions? Is it part of the Mandate ? Who is the new owner ? Was it sold out ? Was there an advert published anywhere for interested bidders ?”
“We cannot continue to pretend that we are ignorant of the rot in our State. Many more to be revealed. Our elegance is becoming counterproductive.”
Recall that, the Ayade led administration had reportedly expended funds from the Federal Government through the State Universal Basic Education Board(SUBEB) led by Ayade’s aide Stephen Odey on the construction of what was intended to be a model Primary school. As time went on, the Government converted the structures/framework to a secondary school and now a proposed University.
The laws guiding the establishment of SUBEB, restricts its activities to Basic education which doesn’t include Tertiary institutions.
Ayade had In July 2016, on his return from one of his foreign trips, while briefing newsmen at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar, announced that he had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on behalf of the state government with the Canadian government to build an international institution with learning facilities for primary, secondary and tertiary education in the state.
The school, now completed and situated in Kakum, Obudu local government area, the Governor’s home town, has been named British-Canadian University.
In December 2020, during a tour of the facility, the state government announced that, on completion, the management of the institution will be taken over by a Swiss educational consortium, Rainbow Unlimited GMBH.
However, during Gov. Ayade’s appearance on Arise TV show yesterday, he announced that the Federal Executive Council had given approval for the University to operate not stating if it was as a private or public institution. During the extraordinary FEC meeting held on Monday, approval was given to 37 new private Universities to operate which the Canadian University was part of.
Meanwhile, popular Activist and Journalist, Agba Jalingo has also disclosed that the British Canadian University, Obudu and Ogoja Rice Mill has been handed over to HairBase Nigeria Ltd. A company owned by Pastor Yemisi Kudehinbu of Christ Embassy.
All calls to the SUBEB boss weren’t answered as at the time of this report.