The National Association of Polytechnics Students (NAPS) has given President Bola Ahmed Tinubu seven days to sack the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe in Bayelsa State, Dr. Lukman Adegoke Agbabiaka over what it described as “poor leadership style, corruption and intimidation of students and staff of the school”.
During a press conference at the SUG Secretariat of the Kaduna Polytechnic, NAPS National Vice President, Comrade Ridwan Opeyemi alleged that students and staff of the Federal Polytechnic Ekowe had suffered a huge setback under the leadership of Agbabiaka who openly victimised staff and students.
NAPS also accused the Rector of negligence towards the development of the school and for flamboyantly residing in Abuja instead of the residence provided for him by the institution.
The students’ union body also levelled other sundry allegations.
According to the NAPS leader, “we strongly demand the immediate replacement of Dr. Agbabiaka Lukman Adegoke within seven days from the date of this publication, for a more competent hand to take over in a bid to forestall peaceful co-existence, growth, and development of Federal Polytechnic Ekowe, Bayelsa State, failure to comply shall in no doubt attract the wrath of the aggrieved Nigeria Polytechnic students at the expiration of the ultimatum”.
In his swift reaction, the Rector however described the call for his sack as a pure case of “corruption fighting back”, as he said that the students’ union leaders were being sponsored by the corrupt management staff of the Federal Polytechnic Ekowe.
Agbabiaka said the students union leaders, who according to him were sponsored by the corrupt management staff of the Polytechnic, were calling for his head because of his resolve to sanitize the corrupt system he met on the ground.
He said: “Well, I don’t care about what they (NAPS leaders) are saying. All I know is that it is a case of corruption fighting back. But, it is unfortunate that the same students whose future I am trying to protect, are being used as tools to fight me.
“I have just spent one year as the Rector of this Polytechnic, but if I tell you the kind of rot I met on the ground, you will be shocked. I met a situation where some management staff created a satellite campus where students were made to pay tuition into private accounts, which were never remitted to the government coffers. I met admission racketeering, a situation where they were running illegal programmes and duping students.
“So, my offense is that I have insisted that students must pay their school fees and other charges directly into the government treasury. My offense is sacking the children of some management staff who were illegally employed in the Polytechnic with forged employment waivers from the Federal Government. My offense is getting 100 per cent accreditation for an institution which was hitherto running on zero accreditation by NBTE”.
