Several sources in Delta State told SaharaReporters that Ms. Brown Mary Njokanma, the auditor general for local governments, is causing tension in the civil service over her refusal to retire after reaching and passing the mandatory 35 years of service.
“Mrs. Njokanma is supposed to retire by now because she has been in the civil service for more than 35 years,” said one of the sources, a top civil servant in the state. He added, “But she has vowed not to be bothered by any letter or petition written against her. Instead of bowing out, she is using cash to bribe her way to remain in the office as long as she desires.
An investigation by SaharaReporters revealed that Ms. Njokanma’s case was brought before Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, the state legislature, as well as the head of the civil service. Even so, no authority in Delta has ordered the auditor general to proceed on retirement or respond to petitions accusing her of pocketing more than thirty million naira in questionable compensation.
SaharaReporters obtained a letter dated November 13, 1973 that indicated that Ms. Njokanma was hired by the then Bendel State civil service in 1973. Her first posting was to the then Bendel Development and Planning Authority, Benin City. A source familiar with civil service rules and procedures told SaharaReporters that she was due for mandatory retirement as far back as November 2008.
Two sources at the office of the controversial auditor general told SaharaReporters that Ms. Njokanma continues to collect illicit salaries and other benefits because state officials had failed to respond to a series of protest letters about her.
“Every month Mrs. Njokanma collects N570,000 as salary outside other entitlements. From November 2008, when she was supposed to retire, till date, she has received over 31 million naira,” said a source. He further claimed: “So many letters have been written to various offices, but the more all these letters are written the more she carries millions of naira to bribe her way to continue to stay in office.”
Another letter obtained by SaharaReporters, dated February 16, 1976 and issued by the Bendel Development and Planning Authority (reference No. CPA 315/9) confirmed Ms. Njokanma’s appointment. Other documents reveal that Ms. Njokanma applied for in-service training variously on September 9, 1976, February 3, 1977 and October 23, 1978 – and all were granted.
Upon her employment by the Bendel Development and Planning Authority, the auditor general gave her date of birth as December 12, 1956.
Several civil servants accused Ms. Njokanma of falsifying her personnel documents in collusion with her agents in the bureaucracy in order to stay on.
Michael Enahoro Michael, who runs a nongovernmental organization called Excellent World Foundation, wrote a petition against the auditor general. Titled “Fraudulent and Illegal Collection of Salaries by Mrs. Mary Njokanma, Auditor General, Local Government, Delta State,” the petition was addressed to the chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Abuja. It accused Ms. Njokanma of fraudulently and illegally collecting salaries and entitlements when she ought to have retired in 2008 according to service rules.
The group wanted the ICPC to investigate Ms. Njokanma’s records, compel her to proceed on retirement, and order her to refund all the salaries collected illegally from the coffers of Delta State.
The petition underlined Ms. Njokanma’s date of employment in the civil service in November 1973, albeit as Miss Mary Aizebioje, her maiden name. It noted that Miss Mary Aizebioje was the same person as Mss. Brown Mary Njokanma.
The petition stated: “The said Mrs. Brown M. Njokanma has severally falsified her date of birth and that of her appointment to continue in this fraudulent act. Contrary to the evidence, a senior staff list was published on April 1, 1987 (official document 5 of 1987) where it was fraudulently and wrongly stated that her date of birth and date of first appointment are 12th, December, 1957 and 14th, August, 1981 respectfully.
“Again in the Delta state government senior staff list of 31st, December, 2006, Mrs. Njokanma fraudulently and wrongly stated her date of birth and first appointment to be 12/12/1957 and 14/8/1983. Mrs. Brown M. Njokanma in the falsification of her date of birth and date of first appointment is to avert possible retirement and to gain pecuniary benefits from the Delta state government, her employer.”
The petition was copied to the speaker of the Delta State assembly, the state’s civil service commission, the Head of Service, and the state Directorate of Pension and Establishment. It stated: “Mrs. Brown M. Njokanma having been employed in 1973 ought to have retired since 2008 as the mandatory 35 years in service and anything contrary is a fraud and illegal collection of salaries not due to her since 2008 till date. She sat for the confirmation and promotion in 1982 which shows she was employed in 1973 as she couldn’t have been employed in 1981 and [written] the examination in 1982 and her date of first appointment confirmed to take effect from October 1, 1975.”
Another petition was written by one Edith Nenty and addressed to the permanent secretary, Directorate of Establishment and Pension and the head of the state’s civil service. Ms. Nenty accused the directorate and the office of the state head of civil service of aiding and abetting the auditor general to evade retirement.
“You fraudulently connived with the said Mrs. M. Brown Njokanma in the serial falsification of her date of birth and date of first appointment to avert possible retirement and to gain pecuniary benefits from her employment. Mrs. M. Brown Njokanma having been employed in 1973 ought to and should have been retired in 2008,” Ms. Nenty wrote. She threatened to institute a lawsuit to compel the directorate and other state officials to stop Ms. Njokanma’s continued collection of salaries past four years after she should have retired.
Asked why the ICPC and other government offices had failed to act on the petitions against Ms. Njokanma, several sources accused the auditor general of pulling political strings as well as bribing officials who might order her exit.
A staff at Ms. Njokanma’s office said that, in 1992, the then head of civil service suspected that Ms. Njokanma had falsified the date of her first appointment. “In a letter dated 8th July 1992, with reference number S 47/1/15, he told the auditor general that the promotion of Mrs. Brown M. Njokanma had been deferred until the production of the true date of her confirmation. Upon receipt of the letter, the auditor general then had no choice than to produce the letter of confirmation of first appointment of Mrs. Brown M. Njokanma, which he forwarded with a letter dated 21st July 1992 with reference number C13. The said letter eventually settled the controversy over the date of confirmation of her first appointment. It also confirmed that the said Mrs. Brown M. Njokanma is one and the same person as Miss Mary Aizobioje.”
All efforts to reach Mrs. Njokanma for comments proved abortive as she ignored all calls and texts to her mobile line.
SaharaReporters, New York
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