Gbagi Gave Me $50,000Bribe Says Fupre Vc

VICE-Chancellor of
Federal University of
Petroleum Resources,
FUPRE, Effurun, Delta State,
Professor Babatunde Alabi,
alleged, yesterday, that
the $50,000 bribe former
Minister of State for
Education, Olorogun
Kenneth Gbagi, accused
him of receiving, was
willingly offered by him,
Gbagi.
Prof. Alabi, at a briefing on
the state of affairs in the
institution, denied
demanding bribe, saying
that he returned the $
50,000 to the wife of the
former minister in the
presence of his secretary.
However, Gbagi told
Vanguard on phone,
yesterday, "I could not
have given him bribe as a
Minister of State for
Education on behalf of Sky
Grade Construction
Company because I had
resigned as the chairman
of the company as
required by the
constitution then, but I am
aware that he collected
the money."
An official of Sky Grade
Construction Company,
said the company wrote
the Vice-Chancellor to
refund the money, when it
became evident that the
contract was to be given
to another company, after
$50,000 had been
collected from it, adding,
"It was refunded four
months after."
Alabi insisted he returned
the money. He said he
returned to Delta State
from Abuja and had to get
Mrs. Gbagi to take the
money back to her
husband.
He denied having
anything to do with
Jazbell Nigeria Limited, the
company that was alleged
to have been favoured for
the contract, saying that
Gbagi was the one who
personally called him on
phone to meet him in his
house in Abuja.
The Vice-Chancellor said
when he got back to
FUPRE, "I called my
secretary and brought Mrs.
Gbagi, I told her what her
husband gave to me, and
that I want to return it to
him. Mrs. Gbagi and my
secretary counted the
money one by one, she
cross- checked that the
money was correct. I
believe with the same bag
the money was brought. I
said, 'Madam, please, give
it back to your husband."