Investigation: How Taraba Varsity Bursar Earns Double Salaries For Two Years

Pay slip confirming  Mr. Abraham Bagu received December 2023 Salary from State Audit Department of the Taraba State Government despite his appointment with Taraba State University.

 

Taraba Truth and Fact investigations has revealed that Bursar of the Taraba State University, Jalingo Mr. Abraham Bagu has been earning double salaries simultaneously from the university and the state government. 

The investigation which includes review of bank statements, payroll documents show that from December 2021 to December 2023, about twenty-five months after being appointed as Bursar of Taraba State University, Mr. Abraham Bagu continued to receive complete salary from the State Audit Department of the Taraba State Government.  

Mr. Abraham Bagu was before his appointment as Bursar of the University a staff of the Office of the Auditor General. 

The State Auditor General Mr. Polycarp Iranius who audits the state payroll on monthly basis is aware of this financial infraction under his watch. 

A Staff of the Auditor General office who spoke to Taraba Truth and Facts Newspaper said Mr. Polycarp might have turned a blind eye on the infractions because the beneficiary, Mr. Abraham Bagu is 'his boy in whom he has vested interest'.

Taraba Truth and Facts newspaper investigations reveal that the Bursar, Abraham Bagu started earning salaries and allowances with the University from December, 2021 while his salaries was simultaneously being paid by the state government under the office of the Auditor General. 

Bagu had acted as the Bursar of the University between December 2021 and February 2022 and paid himself full salaries and allowances due to the office of a substantive Bursar. 

Sources said Bagu appropriated such power to himself without the knowledge and the approval of the Governing Council. 

"By the civil and public service law, one cannot earn the salaries and allowances of an office wherein such one is deployed to work in an acting capacity. 

Such staff can only be paid Acting Allowance as approved by the Approving Authority. But the then Acting Bursar appropriated the power of paying himself the full salary and allowances of the officer he was acting for," a university source told this newspaper. 

Bank statement and documents sighted by Taraba Truth and Facts Newspaper shows that this illegality was ongoing, Bagu was equally collecting his full salaries and allowances from the state government.    

"After his employment as the Bursar with effect from 1st March, 2021, he continued to collect double salaries until December 2023. He is still active on the State Government Payroll collecting full salaries and allowances and simultaneously collecting full salaries and allowances as the Bursar of the University."

Efforts by Taraba Truth and Facts newspaper to get the position of the office Auditor General and Taraba State University Jalingo to release documents related to continuous payments of salary to Mr. Abraham Bagu failed despite invoking the Freedom of Information FOI Act in several letters.

An official of the Auditor General Office directed Taraba Truth and Facts newspaper to the Attorney General of the state for clarification, a clear move to frustrate the investigation.  

 

Its Criminal, Fraudulent- Senior Civil Servants 

Top civil servants contacted to whether or not the Bursar can take up a new appointment under the same government while his first appointment is still subsisting said its against civil service rules for a civil servant to earn double salary under any disguise.

They said in situation of secondment, the officer will be entailed to salary according to salary structure of his new place of assignment, in some cases he might still receive some allowances from his mother agency but definitely not full salary.   

"Its criminal and fraudulent for an officer to be earning double payments from same government, the civil service document that regulates the employment of civil servants is very clear on this and such persons can be prosecuted.

"Earning two salaries simultaneously from the same government is against the civil service law and it is criminal. In this matter it's an abuse of civil service rules," a top civil servant who pleaded not be mentioned said.