BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
After over one year of buying some books from the publisher of Integrated Pacific Books Nigeria Limited, the Federal Government College, Okposi in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has paid its creditor the sum of N18 million being the cost of the supplies made to the institution.
The payment came following the intervention of the Public Complaint Commission in Ebonyi State.
The Commissioner of PCC, Donald Ogbonna-Chukwu, explained that the publisher had supplied textbooks worth N18 million to the college in 2021 but the school defaulted in paying.
The representative of the publishing company, Festus Offia, disclosed that the firm reported the matter to the Commission for its intervention.
Ogbonna-Chukwu said that on July 28, 2021, the Federal Government College, Okppsi sought the service of Integrated Pacific Books Nigeria Limited following which the institution was supplied a wide range of textbooks.
“The supply net value of the books ordered as agreed by the parties was N18, 400,630 (eighteen million, four hundred thousand, six hundred and thirty naira) only. The complainant supplied the defendant with the textbooks she ordered as the same were received and acknowledged by the Chairman of the defendant’s Books Committee.
“Thereafter, the textbooks were distributed to the defendant’s students who paid the same. On the 6th December, 2021, the complainant submitted an application for payment but was informed by the defendant’s Bursar that they had no sufficient funds for the textbooks already sold to the students of the defendant.
“Ever since that long period of indebtedness, it had been one bird story to a tortoise story.
“The complainant has, therefore, presented a petition alleging that the defendant is indebted to her to the tune of N18,400,630 (eighteen million, four hundred thousand, six hundred and thirty naira) and has refused to pay the said sum.
“Upon receipt of the complaint, the Commission immediately wrote to the Minister, Ministry of Education to intervene in the matter. The Commission’s swift intervention on 26th January, 2022 led to the payment of the total amount of N18, 400,630 recently which represented the total sum owed to the complainant by the defendant. The Ombudsman, Ebonyi State, will continue to serve the people better,” the commissioner pledged.
Meanwhile, Offia has thanked the Commission for the free intervention.
