Open letter to NUST vice chancellor Dr Erold Naomab
Dear Dr Erold Naomab,
Regarding the NUST 1.8 million theft, the NUST Standard Bank account not reconciling, and the psychological toll subjected on Hilma Nandjigwa’s life.
'Just follow the money' is a phrase aligned with a famous 1920s Chicago detective, Elliot Ness.
Ness restored a sense of hope and pride to a city that had been beaten down for a long time by mafia gangsters – such as the notorious AL Capone.
It can easily be said that Ness' integrity was sincere and his sense of justice was inflexible in combatting organised crime. His efforts against corruption and crime often involved tracing the illicit financial dealings of those involved.
Today, the idea of following the money is relevant to the Namibia University of Science and Technology's (NUST's) financial management as an investigative strategy, emphasising the trail of financial transactions to uncover criminal activities and connections.
Following requests for meetings between NUST HR personnel and family members of Ms Hilma Pombili Nandjigwa, an accountant employee of NUST, I am one of the family members who heeded the NUST call. I travelled all the way from the north last week to urgently attend to Ms Nandjigwa's supposed mental breakdown.
To my surprise, Ms Nandjigwa’s mental capacity is great – 100% normal.
Consequently, I wanted to see you and your deputy vice chancellor of finance, but I was told you were both not in the office.
I left my contact details at your desk as I had a few questions that needed clarification on the forced special leave you had placed her on to attend a psychological assessment. I have been waiting for your call, but to no avail up to this point.
I want to bring the following questions to your attention and that of the public:
1. At the centre of Ms Nandjigwa’s labour issues as an accountant who deals with NUST cash outflows and payments to suppliers, NUST accused her of stealing N$1.8 million in 2017. She won that case, thank God. This accusation alone took a big toll on her mental wellness as she fought the system to prove her innocence. So, who is responsible for the N$1.8 million fraud?
2. NUST management had forged her signature on the creditor reconciliation. The date of the creditor reconciliation was after the proof of payment, and that is how Ms Nandjigwa, who occupied this NUST-sensitive accountant position, won the N$1.8 million case. It's obvious that this was an inside job. Can NUST deny this and point to an alternative culprit?
3. The third reason she won the N$1.8 million case is that management presented her with the ITS log, dated before a supplier’s email informing NUST that they did not receive the money. This would imply that NUST management had unauthorised access to her computer and had changed the banking details themselves using Ms Nandjigwa’s username.
4. If NUST genuinely cared about Ms Nandjigwa’s mental wellness as an employee, why did NUST not apologise after subjecting her to such a serious accusation?
5. Why did NUST not refer Ms Nandjigwa for psychological assessment and wellness nourishments in 2020 after NUST subjected her to stress and depression and forced her to endure all those accusations for such an amount of money? The short- and long-term effects of the accusations on Ms Nandjigwa’s shoulders are something that NUST must be held accountable and responsible for since there is no wellness centre within NUST HR.
6. Ms Nandjigwa's family was informed during the meeting that the N$1.8 million was paid into a fictitious bank account. The big question still remains: paid by who? Here is the catch – why did NUST not appoint an independent forensic auditor to trace the money? Why was this not reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission? This could have put to rest the mistrust, fear and suspicion that Ms Nandjigwa holds against NUST management.
7. Why did NUST not involve Ms Nandjigwa's family in the investigation? Why is it only now that NUST seeks to establish the high moral ground by involving family members to validate the aftermath of the incident? Why does Ms Nandjigwa's family only seem to matter now?
The NUST Standard Bank account
8. Ms Nandjigwa complained about bad leadership in finance, specifically about the NUST Standard Bank account not reconciling since 2021. She also complained about the N$1.5 million that was paid to a consultant who messed up NUST assets after NUST management failed to do a post-review. She also complained of the unauthorised access rights that management had on her computer. She first complained about the NUST bank account on 23 November 2021, but nothing was done. Why?
9. Last year, on 16 August 2022, NUST management scheduled a meeting with Ms Nandjigwa and ordered her to surrender her job and vacate her position as she was no longer allegedly part of the new purported structure they presented to her. This was stopped after she reported NUST to Napwu. However, up until now, this new structure was never implemented. Why? It is obvious that NUST management uses the position that Ms Nandjigwa occupied for fraud by changing the banking details of suppliers on ITS to fictitious banking details. No wonder the NUST Standard Bank account from which the suppliers are paid does not reconcile.
10. This year, on 16 August, Ms Nandjigwa reported to NUST management and HR that she had discovered unauthorised access to her computer by both the management themselves and an individual not identified as part of the management. She also repeated her concerns about the bank account not reconciling. Therefore, given the involvement of NUST management in this matter and the possibility of perpetrating fraud over the years using Ms Nandjigwa's username on ITS by changing suppliers' banking details, NUST management proposed referring Ms Nandjigwa to a psychologist of their choice, which is considered highly unethical.
11. On 23 November, your office wrote a letter to Ms Nandjigwa instructing her to vacate the NUST premises within 30 minutes. You confiscated her laptop, changed the office locker and took her staff card, among other things. Therefore, should we interpret the obvious fact that wiping out data and evidence from Ms Nandjigwa's computer is retaliation? Is NUST laying ill grounds as a basis for expelling her from her position?
12. As family members, we are genuinely and deeply concerned about Ms Nandjigwa’s life. Be fluid enough and act like Eliot Ness within your corridors. Take up your NUST responsibilities seriously, rather than allowing your office to shift its actions towards an innocent life. We sense corporate bullying, victimisation and abuse of power by NUST management through this kind of passive and disingenuous approach. Particularly, the NUST Mickey Mouse psycho arrangement towards Ms Nandjigwa's plea raises concerns. Rest assured that we are keenly observing NUST through the lenses of Elliot Ness against the NUST Al Capone's of this world. Become the Ness of NUST and just follow the money, not Ms Nandjigwa.
*Tobias Nande Nandjigwa is a concerned family member of Hilma Pombili Nandjigwa.
Regarding the NUST 1.8 million theft, the NUST Standard Bank account not reconciling, and the psychological toll subjected on Hilma Nandjigwa’s life.
'Just follow the money' is a phrase aligned with a famous 1920s Chicago detective, Elliot Ness.
Ness restored a sense of hope and pride to a city that had been beaten down for a long time by mafia gangsters – such as the notorious AL Capone.
It can easily be said that Ness' integrity was sincere and his sense of justice was inflexible in combatting organised crime. His efforts against corruption and crime often involved tracing the illicit financial dealings of those involved.
Today, the idea of following the money is relevant to the Namibia University of Science and Technology's (NUST's) financial management as an investigative strategy, emphasising the trail of financial transactions to uncover criminal activities and connections.
Following requests for meetings between NUST HR personnel and family members of Ms Hilma Pombili Nandjigwa, an accountant employee of NUST, I am one of the family members who heeded the NUST call. I travelled all the way from the north last week to urgently attend to Ms Nandjigwa's supposed mental breakdown.
To my surprise, Ms Nandjigwa’s mental capacity is great – 100% normal.
Consequently, I wanted to see you and your deputy vice chancellor of finance, but I was told you were both not in the office.
I left my contact details at your desk as I had a few questions that needed clarification on the forced special leave you had placed her on to attend a psychological assessment. I have been waiting for your call, but to no avail up to this point.
I want to bring the following questions to your attention and that of the public:
1. At the centre of Ms Nandjigwa’s labour issues as an accountant who deals with NUST cash outflows and payments to suppliers, NUST accused her of stealing N$1.8 million in 2017. She won that case, thank God. This accusation alone took a big toll on her mental wellness as she fought the system to prove her innocence. So, who is responsible for the N$1.8 million fraud?
2. NUST management had forged her signature on the creditor reconciliation. The date of the creditor reconciliation was after the proof of payment, and that is how Ms Nandjigwa, who occupied this NUST-sensitive accountant position, won the N$1.8 million case. It's obvious that this was an inside job. Can NUST deny this and point to an alternative culprit?
3. The third reason she won the N$1.8 million case is that management presented her with the ITS log, dated before a supplier’s email informing NUST that they did not receive the money. This would imply that NUST management had unauthorised access to her computer and had changed the banking details themselves using Ms Nandjigwa’s username.
4. If NUST genuinely cared about Ms Nandjigwa’s mental wellness as an employee, why did NUST not apologise after subjecting her to such a serious accusation?
5. Why did NUST not refer Ms Nandjigwa for psychological assessment and wellness nourishments in 2020 after NUST subjected her to stress and depression and forced her to endure all those accusations for such an amount of money? The short- and long-term effects of the accusations on Ms Nandjigwa’s shoulders are something that NUST must be held accountable and responsible for since there is no wellness centre within NUST HR.
6. Ms Nandjigwa's family was informed during the meeting that the N$1.8 million was paid into a fictitious bank account. The big question still remains: paid by who? Here is the catch – why did NUST not appoint an independent forensic auditor to trace the money? Why was this not reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission? This could have put to rest the mistrust, fear and suspicion that Ms Nandjigwa holds against NUST management.
7. Why did NUST not involve Ms Nandjigwa's family in the investigation? Why is it only now that NUST seeks to establish the high moral ground by involving family members to validate the aftermath of the incident? Why does Ms Nandjigwa's family only seem to matter now?
The NUST Standard Bank account
8. Ms Nandjigwa complained about bad leadership in finance, specifically about the NUST Standard Bank account not reconciling since 2021. She also complained about the N$1.5 million that was paid to a consultant who messed up NUST assets after NUST management failed to do a post-review. She also complained of the unauthorised access rights that management had on her computer. She first complained about the NUST bank account on 23 November 2021, but nothing was done. Why?
9. Last year, on 16 August 2022, NUST management scheduled a meeting with Ms Nandjigwa and ordered her to surrender her job and vacate her position as she was no longer allegedly part of the new purported structure they presented to her. This was stopped after she reported NUST to Napwu. However, up until now, this new structure was never implemented. Why? It is obvious that NUST management uses the position that Ms Nandjigwa occupied for fraud by changing the banking details of suppliers on ITS to fictitious banking details. No wonder the NUST Standard Bank account from which the suppliers are paid does not reconcile.
10. This year, on 16 August, Ms Nandjigwa reported to NUST management and HR that she had discovered unauthorised access to her computer by both the management themselves and an individual not identified as part of the management. She also repeated her concerns about the bank account not reconciling. Therefore, given the involvement of NUST management in this matter and the possibility of perpetrating fraud over the years using Ms Nandjigwa's username on ITS by changing suppliers' banking details, NUST management proposed referring Ms Nandjigwa to a psychologist of their choice, which is considered highly unethical.
11. On 23 November, your office wrote a letter to Ms Nandjigwa instructing her to vacate the NUST premises within 30 minutes. You confiscated her laptop, changed the office locker and took her staff card, among other things. Therefore, should we interpret the obvious fact that wiping out data and evidence from Ms Nandjigwa's computer is retaliation? Is NUST laying ill grounds as a basis for expelling her from her position?
12. As family members, we are genuinely and deeply concerned about Ms Nandjigwa’s life. Be fluid enough and act like Eliot Ness within your corridors. Take up your NUST responsibilities seriously, rather than allowing your office to shift its actions towards an innocent life. We sense corporate bullying, victimisation and abuse of power by NUST management through this kind of passive and disingenuous approach. Particularly, the NUST Mickey Mouse psycho arrangement towards Ms Nandjigwa's plea raises concerns. Rest assured that we are keenly observing NUST through the lenses of Elliot Ness against the NUST Al Capone's of this world. Become the Ness of NUST and just follow the money, not Ms Nandjigwa.
*Tobias Nande Nandjigwa is a concerned family member of Hilma Pombili Nandjigwa.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article