Mr/ Issahaku, Principal of Dambai College and the locked front door of the staff bungalow
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]r. Musah Yamba Issahaku, the Principal of Dambai College of Education who is being investigated by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) and the Commission on Human Rights & Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for some number of issues including allege financial misappropriation is reported to [ads1]have locked up the bungalow and office of the College’s newly reposted internal auditor.
Awake Investigates sources at the College indicated that Mr. Issahaku had locked up the bungalow and office of the internal auditor, Mr. Jonas Kwashigah as part of his protest against the reposting of the internal auditor to the College by the Ghana Education Service (GES)
Mr. Issahaku who was dragged to CHRAJ since 2012 by some aggrieved staff for alleged abuse of office, conflict of interest has written a letter to the Volta Regional Director of Ghana Education Service on October 28, 2017, to formally register his protest against the decision of the services on Mr. Kwashigah’s reporting.
The locked office of the Internal Auditor
“I refer to your letter No. GES/VR/NTP.TPJ/13 and humbly protest the reportedly of the officer whose particulars appear above to the College.
He was initially posted to the College and later transferred by the Regional Director to Peki College of Education vide letter No. GEs/VR/NTP.TJ/1 and subsequently reported to the Regional Office with letter No. GES/VR.5/Vol.23/173.” Portions of the protest letter read
“His [Jonas Kwashigah] records were sent to NCTE [National Council for Tertiary Education] that he is he is no more in the College. His name has been deleted from the payroll and NCTEE has made provision for an Internal Auditor, so the College cannot accept him back under this transfer arrangement” the Principal’s letter states.
Background
About tow three months ago, Awake Investigates has uncovered conflicting conclusions of two audit reports – an internal audit report that alleged that the Dambai College of Education misappropriated more than GH¢334,773 in the 2015 fiscal year, and an external audit report that did not find that the college misappropriated any funds.
The internal auditor’s expose according to sources at the College brought Mr. Jonas Kwasigah disaffection in which the Principal, Mr. Musah Yamba Issahaku and the College’s formerBursarr, Mr. Sebastian Sokah allegedly schemed to get the him (the internal auditor) transferred from the college.
the locked entrance and back door of the internal auditor’s bungalow
However, in an earlier interview with Head of Awake Investigates, Efo Korsi Senyo, the Principal, Mr. Musah Yambah, has denied all the revelations in the internal audit and the allegations that he and the bursar schemed the transfer of the two year old internal auditor of his college.
Responding further, the principal accused the College’s Internal Auditor, Mr. Jonas Kwasigah of “conniving with other corrupt officials of the college” to dent his image.
Mr. Yamba Issahaku also accused the Internal Auditor of “unprofessionalism and witch hunting”.
According to him, all the figures stated in the internal audit report were “cooked” by Mr. Kwasigah who failed to do a professional job and was a mission of getting him to fall flat to the external auditors.
“I gave him this job since 2015 and it was January 2017 before he presented that report. Most of the things he claimed to have discovered are false. During his work he never complained to me that other staff were not cooperating with him in terms of giving him the right books and receipts” – Mr. Issahaku revealed
Continuing, Mr. Issahaku said that the external audit report cleared him of any charges of misappropriation.
“He just wanted me to fall flat to the external auditors, but thank God when they came, they found nothing against me. We were able to provide all documents to support our claims. The external auditor’s report clear me of any wrong doing” – He added
Mr. Kwashigah’s Posting, Transfer and Reporting
In early 2015, Mr. Kwashigah was posted to Dambai College of Education at a time that the Colleges were under the management of Ghana Education Service. At the time, the Colleges of Education in Ghana are being moved under GES to be managed by the National Council for Tertiary Education.
Mr. Kwashigah had his first assignment to audit the college account and also provide some key advice to the management as his duty requires.
After his first assignment, he presented his full reports and observations to the principal for which he (Mr. Kwashiegah) cited several irregularities at the part of the management of the College.
On the hills of discussing the internal audit report, Mr. Kwashiegah received a transfer letter under questionable circumstances to go to Peki College of Education also in the Volta Region but was however rejected by the Peki College of Education saying they already have an internal auditor.
Mr. Kwashiegah was then posted to Regional Office of the Ghana Education Services at Ho until October 18, 2017 when he received a letter from his Ag. Regional Director of Education that his posting to GES at Ho has been reverse saying “this has become nessary due to the inability of the system to transfer back your salary back to GES as you have been migrated to the Colleges of Education payroll”
The College Principal in court over alleged wrongful dismissal of a former staff
Mr. Musah Yambah was dragged to Court since 2012 by a formal tutor of the College, Mr. Sampson Kofi Totime for alleged illegal dismissal from the College. The Principal has since denied the allegation of illegal dismissal.
The former tutor, due to the Court case has been though out of the classroom has been receiving his salary close to 2years until when the court gave an interim order in 2014 holding that Mr. Totime should be temporarily posted to another school pending the final ruling by the court.