By Amos Aar
THE BENUE State University Alumni Association (BSUAA) under the leadership of Professor Qrisstuberg Amua, has called on members and the general public to disregard the recent announcement by a faction of the association to hold election into various positions.
Briefing journalists on Monday in Makurdi, Prof. Amua said contrary to the announcement which is circulating on various social media platforms, BSUAA under his leadership has dissociated itself “from what he described as “illegal scheduled elections slated for May 4, 2024 at the Police Officers Mess, Makurdi (or any other date and venue that they may shift to)”.
According to Amua, the elections scheduled for May 4, 2024 are illegal because it is the handiwork of the ousted BSUAA President, Comrade Lawrence Vihimga, and his followers who were removed over alleged corruption, seeking to perpetrate further chaos within the association to undermine further investigation and possible prosecution for the alleged theft in hundreds of millions of Alumni finances.
He added that scheduled election is in total disregard of a subsisting court order. “It is imperative to highlight that the illegally announced elections scheduled to hold on 4th May, 2024 (or any other day) at the Police Officers Mess, Makurdi not only contravene a subsisting court order by the Benue State High Court of Justice (attached hereto), but also pose a threat to the peace and security within the BSUAA and of Benue State as a whole. The disregard for the rule of law exhibited by these imposters only serves to perpetuate the culture of theft and maladministration that has plagued our association.
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“The current leadership, led by Professor Qrisstuberg Amua, remains committed to fostering harmony, unity, and legality within the BSUAA. Efforts have been made to extend the olive branch to all members while seeking legal recourse to restrain the renegade group from further destabilizing our association.
“We commend the Benue State Government, under the exemplary leadership of His Excellency Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, for upholding the rule of law and standing against actions that undermine peace and security. We call upon the Commissioner of Police, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, and the Special Adviser on Internal Security to intervene and halt the illegal activities of the renegade group.
“Furthermore, we urge all loyal members of the BSUAA to remain steadfast in their support for the legitimate leadership of Professor Qrisstuberg Amua. Together, we shall work towards conducting credible, free, and fair elections that will bring an end to the cycle of leadership irresponsibility, maladministration and record of financial impropriety that has been the bane of all crises in the Benue State University Alumni Association (BSUAA)”.
Asked whether he had evidence to prove the alleged impropriety and embezzlement of millions of naira by the Vihimga-led Exco, Prof. Amua said: “There is evidence. The association is on record to have been receiving dues of five thousand five hundred naira (N5,500) from every graduate of the university and if you go through the proceedings, the approved figure is five thousand naira (N5,000) only. They may have been collecting more than that but the approved figure is N5,000.
“It is on record from proceedings and reports of visitation panels, the immediate past visitation panel to the Benue State University where he attested that in a particular year, he collected monies to the tune of over one hundred and thirty million (N130,000,000).
“Secondly, there is N11.2 million that was hanging before he came in because of crisis in the court and upon his inauguration, the court released that money to the alumni association and the money has been squandered without any project, without any statement of account.
“So, what other kind of evidence do you want? There is no single project apart from a signboard you see at the entrance of the Benue State University that he claimed to have done. I don’t think that signboard would account for N140 million. There is no statement of account to the congress. So, that’s the evidence”, Amua maintained.
