BEING THE TEXT OF PRESS STATEMENT DELIVERED BY DR SALISU OGBO USMAN,
ACTING RECTOR, KOGI STATE POLYTECHNIC, LOKOJA, ON MONDAY, 9TH NOVEMBER, 2020
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I want to sincerely and warmly welcome you all to this interactive session. I lack words to appreciate you all for your support, encouragement, most especially the fair and objective coverage I have enjoyed from you since I took over the mantle of leadership of this great Institution, seven months ago. I must confess that your partnership has been of tremendous assistance in our efforts at repositioning the institution for the good of all. I want to plead with you to continue in that light so that at the end, we will together build an institution that posterity will be proud of. On my part, I make a vow here and now that I will continue to welcome constructive coverage and criticism from members of the fraternity of the pen. I have nothing to hide and I will not have anything to hide. Once again, I warmly welcome you to this briefing.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, you would recall that at the commissioning and inspection of some projects in the Polytechnic by the Governor of Kogi State and Visitor to our Institution, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, on 10th September, 2020, I made it clear that Management under my leadership has a cardinal commitment to building an institution that is:
open, transparent and consultative in decision making;
accommodative to all irrespective of ethnic, religious and social affiliations (where every member of staff and students would first and foremost see themselves as Kogites and as staff and students of the Polytechnic before thinking of their background);
a centre of academic and entrepreneurial excellence;
a producer of graduates that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their counterparts anywhere in the world;
a network-oriented institution that is substantially reliant on ICT and the attendant e-governance, e-learning, e-examination, e-result computation, e-payment and e-security, among others.
I want to proudly bring to your notice that with the tremendous support and encouragement from His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, we have been working tirelessly to ensure the actualization of those lofty goals. Particularly, I am proud of the team I am working with; from the Principal Officers to the Management team, Deans, Directors, Heads of Departments, Committees (both standing and ad hoc), and down to my students, with whom I am well pleased. I am also grateful to His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza, for the confidence and trust he has continued to repose in me in the cause of discharging this assignment. We are determined to do our best to create an environment that is in conformity with his governance vision for the people of the state.
Ladies and gentlemen, in spite of our commitment and optimism in seeing to the actualization of our lofty objectives, we are still confronted with our own share of the challenges. The issues mostly stem from the hiccups which are normal in our challenging environment. However, there are aspects of those challenges that are particularly worrisome. These boil down to one factor: some people who have been cheating the system tremendously before we stepped in are not comfortable with the trends of events necessitated by the mild reforms we are embarking on. These people who constitute minutest component of our staff and students but who have the loudest voice, are fighting hard to destabilize the system so that they can return to the status quo and continue with the old order. Their handwritings are everywhere, but since we are determined to plough ahead for the sake of our students, posterity and overall corporate good image of our dear Institution, we will like to place on records a few of those endemic issues and the efforts we are making to get them corrected.
DISCOVERY AND BURSTING OF EXAMINATION “MAGIC CENTRE” OUTSIDE THE CAMPUS
When I assumed duties, I got information that our certificate was one of the easiest commodities to purchase from the market. My friend, your colleague Mr. Julius Atabo even told me at a point that market women who could not spell their own names were flying our certificates around as graduate of the institution. I took the comment as a joke carried too far until His Royal Majesty, the Obaro of Kabba at a separate occasion similarly alluded to the same issue of certificate racketeering when I paid him a familiarization visit in his Palace at Kabba shortly after I assumed duties. Yet, I couldn’t believe such story about the institution I proudly graduated from about twenty-four years ago.
But in all sincerity, Ladies and Gentlemen, the events of the past few months have proven what I hated most to be true. Just few days ago, I got an intelligence report in respect of existence of examination “Magic Centres” both within the campus and in some parts of Lokoja. We immediately set investigative machineries in motion to ascertain the authenticity of the report. Lo and behold, the centre being controlled by a syndicate of some disgruntled elements in our system was discovered right in the heart of Lokoja.
See some pictures of ‘candidates’ on the projected screen. These are our students at one of the “Magic Centres” writing their examination while examination for the course(s) in question was going on in the approved halls on the campus. Let me re- emphasize that this was a normal practice though some disciplined members of staff in the Polytechnic doubted its existence, before we were able to unravel this academic decadence with evidence on Thursday 5th November,2020.
Ladies and Gentlemen, on Thursday 5th November, 2020, our team of security were able to burst one of the centres called “Champion Lodge” at Sarkin Norma after the Primary School. Even as the suspects escaped before the arrival of the security team, a total of 32 scripts already answered (with respect to different courses) with students’ particulars respectively written were retrieved from “Carlifonia Lodge” at the same “Sarkin Norma” where the scripts were kept for onward transmission to their Principal(s). The 32 scripts retrieved from the “Magic Centre” as compiled by the Chief Security Officer (CSO) are:
Adams Mubarak Sani – Mat. No.: 2018/HND/ACCT/148
Ogwu Sunday – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/475
Bala Sumaila – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/570
Ale Olayemi Christiana – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/468
John Moses (Adebanji Adefunke Jumoke)- Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/120
Isaiah Gideon – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/758
Abraham Nwanokwai – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/572
Atede Joseph Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/437
Isaiah Gideon – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/758 (2nd Script)
Ekele Charity Ojochide – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/672
Usman Monday Peter – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/464
Umar Abubakar – Mat. No.: 2019/ND/BUS/799
Muhammed Rufai – Mat. No.: 2019/ND/BUS/725
Danjuma Mustapha – Mat. No.: 2019/ND/PAD/672
Michael Gideon Ojochegbe – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/687
Usman Juliet – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/438
Alih Hussena – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/456
Ben Jibrin Ochijenu – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/603
Adejoh Daniel – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/186
Tijani Yusufu – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/217
Alih Ibrahim – Mat. No.: 2019/ND/BUS/124
Usman Husseini – Mat. No.: 2019/ND/BUS/876
Salifu Tenimu – Mat. No.: 2019/ND/BUS/277
Mathew Faith – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/834
Ejeh Friday – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/391
Attah Godwin – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/218
Yakubu Aliyu – Mat. No.: 2019/ND/BUS/1089
Momoh Haruna – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/454
Husseini Nasiru – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/283
Usman Juliet – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/438 (2nd Script)
Ogwu Sunday – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/475 (2nd Script)
Ademu Suleiman – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/946
Further efforts led to the arrest of some of the participants at the “Magic Centre” on Friday 6th November, 2020 who confessed to not only participated but also paid Two thousand naira (N2, 000.00) per paper. The names of those nabbed are:
Adams Mubarak Sani – Mat. No.: 2018/HND/ACCT/148
Atede Joseph – Mat. No: 2018/ND/BUS/437
Usman Juliet – Mat. No. 2018/ND/BUS/438
Alih Hussena – Mat. No. 2018/ND/BUS/456
Today, Monday 9th November, 2020 we were also able to arrest additional 12 participants of the said “Magic centre” who variously confessed to their involvement. We were also able to arrest one Mr. Victor Attah, the owner of the room that was used as the “Magic Centre” and one Mr. Daniel Ikoja (Aka Progress), the owner of the room where scripts were kept for onward transmission. Mr. Victor and Mr. Daniel are both students our students.
The breakdown of the 32 recovered scripts above based on Department indicates that:
Department of Business Administration = 31 (ND I = 12 and ND II = 18)
Department of Accountancy = 01 (HND II = 01)
Furthermore, the breakdown of the recovered 32 scripts based on the courses examined shows that:
GNS 201 – Use of English = 10
BAM 216 -Practice of Entrepreneurship = 14
GNS III – Citizenship Education = 02
ACCT III – Principle of Accounting = 05
GNS 401 – Communication in English = 01
Ladies and gentlemen, the question that may be agitating your mind waiting to devour are: who are the characters behind this academic decadence? Is this a syndicate? How long have they been perpetuating this act? How did the perpetrators get access to the questions papers and the answer booklets that are obviously the original security document of the Polytechnic? Are they staff collaborators? Have you been able to identify the principal suspect(s)? What do you intend to do with the affected papers so that innocent students may not be affected and how do you intend to handle the case generally to forestall a repeat in the future? The answer to all the above palpable questions is that, we shall intensify our reforms anchored on rules and regulations in line with best practices to sanitize the system.
Meanwhile, we are on the trail of one HND II student in the Department of Accountancy – Hayatu Ibrahim with Matric Number 2018/HND/ACCT/213 and his accomplice Attah Victor Matric Number 2018/ND/BUS/903. Convincing evidence abounds that Mr. Hayatu Ibrahim, who is a son of a staff of the Department of Accountancy in the Polytechnic and the current President, Ankpa Students Association, “Ejeh Ankpa” as the lynchpin of the syndicate for now. In all, we have expanded our dragnet with the view to tracing all those directly or indirectly involved in the fraud, and we will ensure that they are all brought to book.
FORGING OF RESULTS
Ladies and Gentlemen, closely related to the issue of examination “magic centre” is the issue of forging of results by our students. So far, we have been able establish one case involving an external result used to secure admission into the Polytechnic, and we are currently on the trails of another involving our own results. On the issue of the external result, we were able to apprehend one Ndah Zubairu (2017/HSLT/BCM/084) of the Department of Science Laboratory Technology, who forged the National Diploma result from the Federal Polytechnic, Idah. He used the result to secure admission into the HND programme of the institution. We made the discovery few months into our reform processes particularly on the Unit when he came to obtain his Statement of Result after completion of study.
Details investigation by our Security Unit revealed that Zubairu did tinkered with the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of the National Diploma in Science Laboratory Technology (SLT) obtained from the Federal Polytechnic, Idah, Kogi State. The report further indicates that Zubairu had altered a CGPA of 2.52 certified by the Federal Polytechnic to a CGPA of 3.27 and used the forged version to secure admission into Kogi State Polytechnic.
Similarly, we are currently filtering information that the facilitator of the “Magic Centre” earlier presented above may not have successfully completed the National Diploma Programme in Accountancy but now running a Higher National Diploma programme in the same Department, now at HND II. After our investigation, we will ensure that all the collaborators shall be brought to book in accordance with our laws.
I want to place on record that Management under my watch would not tolerate any act capable of tarnishing the credibility of our results and certificates. My warning to the deviant students and their collaborators is that they should desist from short – cut practices in their own interest, and in the common interest of all of us.
STEALING AND ILLEGAL ISSUING OF THE POLYTECHNIC RECEIPTS
Distinguished Ladies, and Gentlemen, we have also discovered the existence of some fraudulent members of staff who are milking the system dry through stealing and illegal issuing of the Polytechnic receipts. When this came to our knowledge, we set up a Committee to investigate the authenticity and possible depth of involvement of the alleged culprits. The Committee discovered that the syndicate in question stole the receipt booklets form the Polytechnic Store and have been using same to collect money and issue statement of results and certificates without remitting the money collected to the Polytechnic account. They do this mostly in active connivance with our graduates who evaded paying school fees during the period of their studies.
The implications of such fraud are in triple fold. The First is that graduates successfully cheat their way through by paying little or no dime to the Polytechnic. The second is that they pay less to collect their certificates and/or statement of results. This is because the fraudulent members of staff charge them less than what they should ideally pay to collect certificate or statement of result. For instance, we charge N7,050 and N3,050 per person for the collection of Certificate and Statement Result respectively. The third implication is that the fraudulently collected amount ends up in private pockets thereby causing revenue leakage for the Institution.
The Committee was able to obtain the identity of one of our graduates who has benefitted from the fraudulent issuance of the stolen receipts. The person in question is a member of staff of a Magistrate Court in Lokoja. He has since disclosed the amount he paid to be issued the certificate but has been evasive in respect of who he paid the money to. After concerted efforts to get him to disclose the identity or identities of the persons to no avail, we are considering the ultimate option of writing to the court where he works to notify them of the shady deal involving someone on their payroll. We are also considering setting machineries in motion to withdraw the certificate issued to him since he has proven to be no longer worthy in character.
CULTISM AND INSECURITY
You may recall that, with the mandate and full support of His Excellency the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, we made it a point of duty to stamp out cultism and ensure safety of lives and property on campus. You all can bear us witness that our actions have been effectively tailored towards fulfilling that mission. However, cultism and cult related activities are still showing their ugly heads around the campus vicinity. A day to our last matriculation, we got intelligence report that some cult groups were about engaging in initiation ceremony at a location very close to the Polytechnic. We intimated the Police who in conjunction with our internal security apparatus swung into action and apprehended the culprits. I must commend the efforts of the DPO in charge of Felele Division and the State Commissioner of Police for the quick and proactive steps in that regard.
However, not long after the arrested suspected cultists were handed over to the disbanded SARS, we were amazed to discover that the same boys were released and are back again terrorizing the neighbourhood. The bottom-line is that they are still very much there causing disharmony in the system. Our students who have been staying off campus are bearing the brunt heavily as they are being harassed and robbed regularly.
DANGER OF RELIGIOUS SECTS (IZALLA VS TIJJANIA) ON CAMPUS
Ladies and Gentlemen, we only recognize the existence and operations of three religious groups on campus. These are subsumed under the Mosque (MSSN), the Chapel of Peace and the Catholic Chaplaincy. To our dismay, however, we have been receiving disturbing report on the potentially dangerous feuds between two Islamic groups on the campus. These groups, the IZALLA and TIJJANIA Movements, are reported to be at each other’s neck in the battle for supremacy on the campus. We are very much aware that the names of some Muslim staff are fully behind this potentially dangerous trend.
Consequently, we want to once again reiterate by sending out a note of warning that the only Islamic association recognized on campus is the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), for which every Muslim student on the campus must subsume him/herself under that sole umbrella. Whoever chooses to operate outside the orbit of the approved Islamic group on campus will have the law to face. We all know that inter or intra-religious conflicts have dangerously snowball effect capable of destroying a whole country. We cannot fold our arms and allow the polytechnic to be used as a launch pad for religious mayhem in Nigeria.
BAN OF ILLEGAL SALES OF TEXTBOOKS
When we came on board, we received complaints and request from the students’ bodies to stamp out the fraudulent habit of forcing and extorting students through illegal and fraudulent sales of textbooks. The usual practice was the production of textbooks, mainly substandard, which students were forced to buy even at the expense of payment of their school fees. This is obviously not acceptable in an ethically oriented academic environment. As part of our quality assurance measures, we empowered the Book Committee to investigate the allegations and make recommendations that would be in the best interest of the students and the overall academic standard in the Polytechnic. The Committee moved into action and made recommendations which were adopted by management as follows:
All books authored by the staff of the Polytechnic must strictly be in conformity with the Curriculum of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE);
Academic staff who are not of the rank of Senior Lecturer and its equivalent and above cannot publish textbook, except they do so in collaboration with their seniors and more experienced colleagues;
Sales of textbooks in the offices, through class representatives and or other pseudo-agents is highly prohibited;
Forcing students to buy textbooks either directly or subtly is not acceptable;
All books not approved by the Committee should not be sold to students;
Books written by single author below the rank of Senior Lecturer should be phased out by the end of the 2019/2020 academic session;
All approved books are to be sold at the Polytechnic bookshop; and
All students in the respective schools are to be informed of the development. Even with the above clearly stated and explicit regulatory guidelines, some disgruntled elements have not changed and are yet to come to terms with the reality of the new dawn. We have their names and we are mapping out strategy to apprehend them for appropriate disciplinary action.
INCITEMENT OF STUDENTS BY FEW ELEMENTS AMONGST STAFF
In any environment where there is systemic and entrenched decay, any step aimed at correcting the anomalies can never enjoy popularity among those profiting from such decay. As I said earlier, I have enjoyed the tremendous cooperation and support of over 90 percent of staff of the institution. I can attest to this based on awesome commitment, sense of responsibilities and dedication with high ethical values at various committee levels and in the discharge of their respective primary responsibilities.
However, the few whose interests feel threatened by our efforts are not ready give up so easily. They therefore resorted to inciting students to embark on demonstration against our altruistic policy. A case in point is one Mr. Stephen Owoleke of the School of General Studies who openly declared that students should embark on demonstration because we wanted to enforce “No School Fees, No Examination”. In line with the tone of the comment, students did embark on protest purportedly in reaction to the death of their colleague who was knocked down by vehicle along the highway. Curiously, however, the protest that was supposed to be against the Killing of students became a protest of “No School Fees, No Examination”. This was even when we had extended the grace of payment by extra two weeks. Even as we are critically reviewing the conduct of Mr. Stephen Owoleke and his cohort, I deeply and sincerely appreciate the maturity and understanding of our students that have severally resisted and reported the antics of such traducers.
Another instance was the unwarranted protest and destruction carried out at the School of Engineering, Itakpe. According to the Deputy Dean of Student Services at the campus, a student who had an undisclosed “brought from home” ailment was reported to have crisis during examination, and he was rushed to the Clinic and attended to. Later in the evening, he had the same crisis again. His colleagues in the bid to rush him to the hospital, claimed that the vehicle to convey the student to the hospital was not readily available and they went on rampage. On examination after the said student was taken to the hospital and was receiving treatment, it was discovered that, the administrative building window glasses and a vehicle parked around the security building were damaged.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Clinic at Itakpe campus was built before I assumed duties but was not used because there were no supporting facilities and personnel to function. It was after I assumed duties that staff were redeployed to the campus, drugs were purchased and over a million naira was approved to purchase other needs of the Clinic apart from the four (4) hospital beds and mattress that we have since moved to the place to function. Throughout the period the Clinic was not put to use, there was no case of protest on health ground. The question is why now that we identified this gap that we are making appreciable efforts for improved functional facilities that there will be protest?
Even as we are compiling the reports on the incidence with names of the suspect for necessary disciplinary action, I sincerely appreciate the sober stance of the Student Union leadership especially at Itakpe and their distilling roles against the infected bad elements amongst them.
Let me use this opportunity to call on our students not to allow themselves to be used by people who have their own ulterior motives. They should know that whoever is inciting them does not in any way have their interest at heart. They should also know that my primary responsibility is to protect their legitimate interest always, and I am ready to do that within the means at my disposal.
CONCLUSION
Just as I said in my preliminary remark, my primary responsibility in Kogi State Polytechnic is to leave a positive mark that posterity will be proud of. Nothing in all the challenges I have enumerated so far will deter me from pursuing the clearly stated goal. Let me also make it clear that I am not in Kogi State Polytechnic with the aim of staying long. I am here to make positive impact. Again, I am here to make positive impact. So even if I leave this seat today, Alhamdulliah, I can look back and say thank you, thank you, and thank you Your Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, for allowing my name to be part of the positive story of Kogi State Polytechnic. I am profoundly grateful to my creator for giving His Excellency the will to allow me to be part of the positive story of Kogi State Polytechnic.
But for now, I want to appeal to members of the Polytechnic to continue to give their support so that, together, we will be able to build a common legacy.
Let me further reiterate that, I am not unmindful of the fact that, when you are embarking on the reform such as the one we are carrying out now, the perpetrators will certainly fight back with every strategy and attack. That is why it is important i inform the public, parents, guardians and the relevant stakeholders through you of the modest efforts and gain of our reforms as enumerated above.
Once again, gentlemen of the press, I thank you so much for your time and support as always. Please, let’s continue to join hands to rid the Polytechnic of endemic academic decadence.
Thank you and God blessFULL TEXT BY DR. Usman Ogbo
??????
STEMMING THE TIDES OF ENDEMIC ACADEMIC DECADENCE AND LAWLESSNESS IN KOGI STATE POLYTECHNIC
BEING THE TEXT OF PRESS STATEMENT DELIVERED BY DR SALISU OGBO USMAN,
ACTING RECTOR, KOGI STATE POLYTECHNIC, LOKOJA, ON MONDAY, 9TH NOVEMBER, 2020
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I want to sincerely and warmly welcome you all to this interactive session. I lack words to appreciate you all for your support, encouragement, most especially the fair and objective coverage I have enjoyed from you since I took over the mantle of leadership of this great Institution, seven months ago. I must confess that your partnership has been of tremendous assistance in our efforts at repositioning the institution for the good of all. I want to plead with you to continue in that light so that at the end, we will together build an institution that posterity will be proud of. On my part, I make a vow here and now that I will continue to welcome constructive coverage and criticism from members of the fraternity of the pen. I have nothing to hide and I will not have anything to hide. Once again, I warmly welcome you to this briefing.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, you would recall that at the commissioning and inspection of some projects in the Polytechnic by the Governor of Kogi State and Visitor to our Institution, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, on 10th September, 2020, I made it clear that Management under my leadership has a cardinal commitment to building an institution that is:
open, transparent and consultative in decision making;
accommodative to all irrespective of ethnic, religious and social affiliations (where every member of staff and students would first and foremost see themselves as Kogites and as staff and students of the Polytechnic before thinking of their background);
a centre of academic and entrepreneurial excellence;
a producer of graduates that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their counterparts anywhere in the world;
a network-oriented institution that is substantially reliant on ICT and the attendant e-governance, e-learning, e-examination, e-result computation, e-payment and e-security, among others.
I want to proudly bring to your notice that with the tremendous support and encouragement from His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, we have been working tirelessly to ensure the actualization of those lofty goals. Particularly, I am proud of the team I am working with; from the Principal Officers to the Management team, Deans, Directors, Heads of Departments, Committees (both standing and ad hoc), and down to my students, with whom I am well pleased. I am also grateful to His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza, for the confidence and trust he has continued to repose in me in the cause of discharging this assignment. We are determined to do our best to create an environment that is in conformity with his governance vision for the people of the state.
Ladies and gentlemen, in spite of our commitment and optimism in seeing to the actualization of our lofty objectives, we are still confronted with our own share of the challenges. The issues mostly stem from the hiccups which are normal in our challenging environment. However, there are aspects of those challenges that are particularly worrisome. These boil down to one factor: some people who have been cheating the system tremendously before we stepped in are not comfortable with the trends of events necessitated by the mild reforms we are embarking on. These people who constitute minutest component of our staff and students but who have the loudest voice, are fighting hard to destabilize the system so that they can return to the status quo and continue with the old order. Their handwritings are everywhere, but since we are determined to plough ahead for the sake of our students, posterity and overall corporate good image of our dear Institution, we will like to place on records a few of those endemic issues and the efforts we are making to get them corrected.
DISCOVERY AND BURSTING OF EXAMINATION “MAGIC CENTRE” OUTSIDE THE CAMPUS
When I assumed duties, I got information that our certificate was one of the easiest commodities to purchase from the market. My friend, your colleague Mr. Julius Atabo even told me at a point that market women who could not spell their own names were flying our certificates around as graduate of the institution. I took the comment as a joke carried too far until His Royal Majesty, the Obaro of Kabba at a separate occasion similarly alluded to the same issue of certificate racketeering when I paid him a familiarization visit in his Palace at Kabba shortly after I assumed duties. Yet, I couldn’t believe such story about the institution I proudly graduated from about twenty-four years ago.
But in all sincerity, Ladies and Gentlemen, the events of the past few months have proven what I hated most to be true. Just few days ago, I got an intelligence report in respect of existence of examination “Magic Centres” both within the campus and in some parts of Lokoja. We immediately set investigative machineries in motion to ascertain the authenticity of the report. Lo and behold, the centre being controlled by a syndicate of some disgruntled elements in our system was discovered right in the heart of Lokoja.
See some pictures of ‘candidates’ on the projected screen. These are our students at one of the “Magic Centres” writing their examination while examination for the course(s) in question was going on in the approved halls on the campus. Let me re- emphasize that this was a normal practice though some disciplined members of staff in the Polytechnic doubted its existence, before we were able to unravel this academic decadence with evidence on Thursday 5th November,2020.
Ladies and Gentlemen, on Thursday 5th November, 2020, our team of security were able to burst one of the centres called “Champion Lodge” at Sarkin Norma after the Primary School. Even as the suspects escaped before the arrival of the security team, a total of 32 scripts already answered (with respect to different courses) with students’ particulars respectively written were retrieved from “Carlifonia Lodge” at the same “Sarkin Norma” where the scripts were kept for onward transmission to their Principal(s). The 32 scripts retrieved from the “Magic Centre” as compiled by the Chief Security Officer (CSO) are:
Adams Mubarak Sani – Mat. No.: 2018/HND/ACCT/148
Ogwu Sunday – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/475
Bala Sumaila – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/570
Ale Olayemi Christiana – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/468
John Moses (Adebanji Adefunke Jumoke)- Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/120
Isaiah Gideon – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/758
Abraham Nwanokwai – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/572
Atede Joseph Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/437
Isaiah Gideon – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/758 (2nd Script)
Ekele Charity Ojochide – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/672
Usman Monday Peter – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/464
Umar Abubakar – Mat. No.: 2019/ND/BUS/799
Muhammed Rufai – Mat. No.: 2019/ND/BUS/725
Danjuma Mustapha – Mat. No.: 2019/ND/PAD/672
Michael Gideon Ojochegbe – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/687
Usman Juliet – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/438
Alih Hussena – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/456
Ben Jibrin Ochijenu – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/603
Adejoh Daniel – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/186
Tijani Yusufu – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/217
Alih Ibrahim – Mat. No.: 2019/ND/BUS/124
Usman Husseini – Mat. No.: 2019/ND/BUS/876
Salifu Tenimu – Mat. No.: 2019/ND/BUS/277
Mathew Faith – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/834
Ejeh Friday – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/391
Attah Godwin – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/218
Yakubu Aliyu – Mat. No.: 2019/ND/BUS/1089
Momoh Haruna – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/454
Husseini Nasiru – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/283
Usman Juliet – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/438 (2nd Script)
Ogwu Sunday – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/475 (2nd Script)
Ademu Suleiman – Mat. No.: 2018/ND/BUS/946
Further efforts led to the arrest of some of the participants at the “Magic Centre” on Friday 6th November, 2020 who confessed to not only participated but also paid Two thousand naira (N2, 000.00) per paper. The names of those nabbed are:
Adams Mubarak Sani – Mat. No.: 2018/HND/ACCT/148
Atede Joseph – Mat. No: 2018/ND/BUS/437
Usman Juliet – Mat. No. 2018/ND/BUS/438
Alih Hussena – Mat. No. 2018/ND/BUS/456
Today, Monday 9th November, 2020 we were also able to arrest additional 12 participants of the said “Magic centre” who variously confessed to their involvement. We were also able to arrest one Mr. Victor Attah, the owner of the room that was used as the “Magic Centre” and one Mr. Daniel Ikoja (Aka Progress), the owner of the room where scripts were kept for onward transmission. Mr. Victor and Mr. Daniel are both students our students.
The breakdown of the 32 recovered scripts above based on Department indicates that:
Department of Business Administration = 31 (ND I = 12 and ND II = 18)
Department of Accountancy = 01 (HND II = 01)
Furthermore, the breakdown of the recovered 32 scripts based on the courses examined shows that:
GNS 201 – Use of English = 10
BAM 216 -Practice of Entrepreneurship = 14
GNS III – Citizenship Education = 02
ACCT III – Principle of Accounting = 05
GNS 401 – Communication in English = 01
Ladies and gentlemen, the question that may be agitating your mind waiting to devour are: who are the characters behind this academic decadence? Is this a syndicate? How long have they been perpetuating this act? How did the perpetrators get access to the questions papers and the answer booklets that are obviously the original security document of the Polytechnic? Are they staff collaborators? Have you been able to identify the principal suspect(s)? What do you intend to do with the affected papers so that innocent students may not be affected and how do you intend to handle the case generally to forestall a repeat in the future? The answer to all the above palpable questions is that, we shall intensify our reforms anchored on rules and regulations in line with best practices to sanitize the system.
Meanwhile, we are on the trail of one HND II student in the Department of Accountancy – Hayatu Ibrahim with Matric Number 2018/HND/ACCT/213 and his accomplice Attah Victor Matric Number 2018/ND/BUS/903. Convincing evidence abounds that Mr. Hayatu Ibrahim, who is a son of a staff of the Department of Accountancy in the Polytechnic and the current President, Ankpa Students Association, “Ejeh Ankpa” as the lynchpin of the syndicate for now. In all, we have expanded our dragnet with the view to tracing all those directly or indirectly involved in the fraud, and we will ensure that they are all brought to book.
FORGING OF RESULTS
Ladies and Gentlemen, closely related to the issue of examination “magic centre” is the issue of forging of results by our students. So far, we have been able establish one case involving an external result used to secure admission into the Polytechnic, and we are currently on the trails of another involving our own results. On the issue of the external result, we were able to apprehend one Ndah Zubairu (2017/HSLT/BCM/084) of the Department of Science Laboratory Technology, who forged the National Diploma result from the Federal Polytechnic, Idah. He used the result to secure admission into the HND programme of the institution. We made the discovery few months into our reform processes particularly on the Unit when he came to obtain his Statement of Result after completion of study.
Details investigation by our Security Unit revealed that Zubairu did tinkered with the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of the National Diploma in Science Laboratory Technology (SLT) obtained from the Federal Polytechnic, Idah, Kogi State. The report further indicates that Zubairu had altered a CGPA of 2.52 certified by the Federal Polytechnic to a CGPA of 3.27 and used the forged version to secure admission into Kogi State Polytechnic.
Similarly, we are currently filtering information that the facilitator of the “Magic Centre” earlier presented above may not have successfully completed the National Diploma Programme in Accountancy but now running a Higher National Diploma programme in the same Department, now at HND II. After our investigation, we will ensure that all the collaborators shall be brought to book in accordance with our laws.
I want to place on record that Management under my watch would not tolerate any act capable of tarnishing the credibility of our results and certificates. My warning to the deviant students and their collaborators is that they should desist from short – cut practices in their own interest, and in the common interest of all of us.
STEALING AND ILLEGAL ISSUING OF THE POLYTECHNIC RECEIPTS
Distinguished Ladies, and Gentlemen, we have also discovered the existence of some fraudulent members of staff who are milking the system dry through stealing and illegal issuing of the Polytechnic receipts. When this came to our knowledge, we set up a Committee to investigate the authenticity and possible depth of involvement of the alleged culprits. The Committee discovered that the syndicate in question stole the receipt booklets form the Polytechnic Store and have been using same to collect money and issue statement of results and certificates without remitting the money collected to the Polytechnic account. They do this mostly in active connivance with our graduates who evaded paying school fees during the period of their studies.
The implications of such fraud are in triple fold. The First is that graduates successfully cheat their way through by paying little or no dime to the Polytechnic. The second is that they pay less to collect their certificates and/or statement of results. This is because the fraudulent members of staff charge them less than what they should ideally pay to collect certificate or statement of result. For instance, we charge N7,050 and N3,050 per person for the collection of Certificate and Statement Result respectively. The third implication is that the fraudulently collected amount ends up in private pockets thereby causing revenue leakage for the Institution.
The Committee was able to obtain the identity of one of our graduates who has benefitted from the fraudulent issuance of the stolen receipts. The person in question is a member of staff of a Magistrate Court in Lokoja. He has since disclosed the amount he paid to be issued the certificate but has been evasive in respect of who he paid the money to. After concerted efforts to get him to disclose the identity or identities of the persons to no avail, we are considering the ultimate option of writing to the court where he works to notify them of the shady deal involving someone on their payroll. We are also considering setting machineries in motion to withdraw the certificate issued to him since he has proven to be no longer worthy in character.
CULTISM AND INSECURITY
You may recall that, with the mandate and full support of His Excellency the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, we made it a point of duty to stamp out cultism and ensure safety of lives and property on campus. You all can bear us witness that our actions have been effectively tailored towards fulfilling that mission. However, cultism and cult related activities are still showing their ugly heads around the campus vicinity. A day to our last matriculation, we got intelligence report that some cult groups were about engaging in initiation ceremony at a location very close to the Polytechnic. We intimated the Police who in conjunction with our internal security apparatus swung into action and apprehended the culprits. I must commend the efforts of the DPO in charge of Felele Division and the State Commissioner of Police for the quick and proactive steps in that regard.
However, not long after the arrested suspected cultists were handed over to the disbanded SARS, we were amazed to discover that the same boys were released and are back again terrorizing the neighbourhood. The bottom-line is that they are still very much there causing disharmony in the system. Our students who have been staying off campus are bearing the brunt heavily as they are being harassed and robbed regularly.
DANGER OF RELIGIOUS SECTS (IZALLA VS TIJJANIA) ON CAMPUS
Ladies and Gentlemen, we only recognize the existence and operations of three religious groups on campus. These are subsumed under the Mosque (MSSN), the Chapel of Peace and the Catholic Chaplaincy. To our dismay, however, we have been receiving disturbing report on the potentially dangerous feuds between two Islamic groups on the campus. These groups, the IZALLA and TIJJANIA Movements, are reported to be at each other’s neck in the battle for supremacy on the campus. We are very much aware that the names of some Muslim staff are fully behind this potentially dangerous trend.
Consequently, we want to once again reiterate by sending out a note of warning that the only Islamic association recognized on campus is the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), for which every Muslim student on the campus must subsume him/herself under that sole umbrella. Whoever chooses to operate outside the orbit of the approved Islamic group on campus will have the law to face. We all know that inter or intra-religious conflicts have dangerously snowball effect capable of destroying a whole country. We cannot fold our arms and allow the polytechnic to be used as a launch pad for religious mayhem in Nigeria.
BAN OF ILLEGAL SALES OF TEXTBOOKS
When we came on board, we received complaints and request from the students’ bodies to stamp out the fraudulent habit of forcing and extorting students through illegal and fraudulent sales of textbooks. The usual practice was the production of textbooks, mainly substandard, which students were forced to buy even at the expense of payment of their school fees. This is obviously not acceptable in an ethically oriented academic environment. As part of our quality assurance measures, we empowered the Book Committee to investigate the allegations and make recommendations that would be in the best interest of the students and the overall academic standard in the Polytechnic. The Committee moved into action and made recommendations which were adopted by management as follows:
All books authored by the staff of the Polytechnic must strictly be in conformity with the Curriculum of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE);
Academic staff who are not of the rank of Senior Lecturer and its equivalent and above cannot publish textbook, except they do so in collaboration with their seniors and more experienced colleagues;
Sales of textbooks in the offices, through class representatives and or other pseudo-agents is highly prohibited;
Forcing students to buy textbooks either directly or subtly is not acceptable;
All books not approved by the Committee should not be sold to students;
Books written by single author below the rank of Senior Lecturer should be phased out by the end of the 2019/2020 academic session;
All approved books are to be sold at the Polytechnic bookshop; and
All students in the respective schools are to be informed of the development. Even with the above clearly stated and explicit regulatory guidelines, some disgruntled elements have not changed and are yet to come to terms with the reality of the new dawn. We have their names and we are mapping out strategy to apprehend them for appropriate disciplinary action.
INCITEMENT OF STUDENTS BY FEW ELEMENTS AMONGST STAFF
In any environment where there is systemic and entrenched decay, any step aimed at correcting the anomalies can never enjoy popularity among those profiting from such decay. As I said earlier, I have enjoyed the tremendous cooperation and support of over 90 percent of staff of the institution. I can attest to this based on awesome commitment, sense of responsibilities and dedication with high ethical values at various committee levels and in the discharge of their respective primary responsibilities.
However, the few whose interests feel threatened by our efforts are not ready give up so easily. They therefore resorted to inciting students to embark on demonstration against our altruistic policy. A case in point is one Mr. Stephen Owoleke of the School of General Studies who openly declared that students should embark on demonstration because we wanted to enforce “No School Fees, No Examination”. In line with the tone of the comment, students did embark on protest purportedly in reaction to the death of their colleague who was knocked down by vehicle along the highway. Curiously, however, the protest that was supposed to be against the Killing of students became a protest of “No School Fees, No Examination”. This was even when we had extended the grace of payment by extra two weeks. Even as we are critically reviewing the conduct of Mr. Stephen Owoleke and his cohort, I deeply and sincerely appreciate the maturity and understanding of our students that have severally resisted and reported the antics of such traducers.
Another instance was the unwarranted protest and destruction carried out at the School of Engineering, Itakpe. According to the Deputy Dean of Student Services at the campus, a student who had an undisclosed “brought from home” ailment was reported to have crisis during examination, and he was rushed to the Clinic and attended to. Later in the evening, he had the same crisis again. His colleagues in the bid to rush him to the hospital, claimed that the vehicle to convey the student to the hospital was not readily available and they went on rampage. On examination after the said student was taken to the hospital and was receiving treatment, it was discovered that, the administrative building window glasses and a vehicle parked around the security building were damaged.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Clinic at Itakpe campus was built before I assumed duties but was not used because there were no supporting facilities and personnel to function. It was after I assumed duties that staff were redeployed to the campus, drugs were purchased and over a million naira was approved to purchase other needs of the Clinic apart from the four (4) hospital beds and mattress that we have since moved to the place to function. Throughout the period the Clinic was not put to use, there was no case of protest on health ground. The question is why now that we identified this gap that we are making appreciable efforts for improved functional facilities that there will be protest?
Even as we are compiling the reports on the incidence with names of the suspect for necessary disciplinary action, I sincerely appreciate the sober stance of the Student Union leadership especially at Itakpe and their distilling roles against the infected bad elements amongst them.
Let me use this opportunity to call on our students not to allow themselves to be used by people who have their own ulterior motives. They should know that whoever is inciting them does not in any way have their interest at heart. They should also know that my primary responsibility is to protect their legitimate interest always, and I am ready to do that within the means at my disposal.
CONCLUSION
Just as I said in my preliminary remark, my primary responsibility in Kogi State Polytechnic is to leave a positive mark that posterity will be proud of. Nothing in all the challenges I have enumerated so far will deter me from pursuing the clearly stated goal. Let me also make it clear that I am not in Kogi State Polytechnic with the aim of staying long. I am here to make positive impact. Again, I am here to make positive impact. So even if I leave this seat today, Alhamdulliah, I can look back and say thank you, thank you, and thank you Your Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, for allowing my name to be part of the positive story of Kogi State Polytechnic. I am profoundly grateful to my creator for giving His Excellency the will to allow me to be part of the positive story of Kogi State Polytechnic.
But for now, I want to appeal to members of the Polytechnic to continue to give their support so that, together, we will be able to build a common legacy.
Let me further reiterate that, I am not unmindful of the fact that, when you are embarking on the reform such as the one we are carrying out now, the perpetrators will certainly fight back with every strategy and attack. That is why it is important i inform the public, parents, guardians and the relevant stakeholders through you of the modest efforts and gain of our reforms as enumerated above.
Once again, gentlemen of the press, I thank you so much for your time and support as always. Please, let’s continue to join hands to rid the Polytechnic of endemic academic decadence.
Thank you and God bless