The Cuttington University Graduate School (CUGS) Class of 2025 is engulfed in one of its most serious internal crises since graduation, as allegations surface that Class President Wilfred O. Taikerweyah operated a parallel “private souvenir account,” raising questions of accountability, transparency, and leadership integrity.
According to multiple sources within the class leadership, Taikerweyah allegedly directed payments for class souvenirs into a personal account, bypassing the official class account at GT Bank. Critics describe the move as a “gross breach of trust” and an attempt to sidestep agreed-upon financial protocols.
The scandal burst into the open after heated exchanges erupted in the class WhatsApp group, where several members challenged the president’s public claims of “unauthorized withdrawals” from the official account.
Classmate Emmanuel G. Dennis was among the first to openly confront Taikerweyah. In a strongly worded statement, Dennis dismissed the president’s allegations and accused him of raising false alarms to deflect attention from his own dealings.
“To my recollection, there is absolutely no unauthorized transaction. The president is using the authority he has as class president to spill false alarms,” Dennis said.
“With his consent, an account was opened with clear signatories. But at the same time, he was running his own account where people were paying for souvenirs.”
The controversy deepened after revelations that Taikerweyah allegedly printed and attempted to introduce 400 souvenir bags without official authorization from the class leadership. Critics argue that his focus on this independent souvenir initiative distracted him from his duties as president, leaving the vice president and other executives to handle the class’s core graduation matters.
In his defense, Taikerweyah has doubled down on his earlier concerns about accountability, insisting that every cent of the class’s money must be properly accounted for. While he has maintained that his warnings over possible unauthorized withdrawals were genuine, he has so far remained silent on the allegation of operating a private souvenir account.
Behind the scenes, insiders say the leadership is now bitterly divided, with some members calling for an independent investigation into both the alleged unauthorized withdrawals and the president’s private account activities.
One classmate, speaking under condition of anonymity, reflected the growing frustration:
“There’s no smoke without fire. If the president raises alarms, then something is wrong. But if he also had his own account, then this is a bigger scandal than we imagined.”
Observers note that this financial wrangle is not an isolated dispute but the culmination of longstanding political fractures within the Class of 2025 leadership. Tensions reportedly began during the graduation planning process, when disagreements over decision-making, procurement, and transparency frequently flared up.
Now, with threats of lawsuits and counter-accusations emerging, the credibility of the class leadership is hanging in the balance. Whether the dispute ends in reconciliation, legal action, or a dramatic shake-up of post-graduation governance remains uncertain.
What is clear, however, is that the Class of 2025—once celebrated for its unity at graduation—is now fighting to salvage its reputation from the shadow of scandal.
