Executive members of the National Association of Polytechnic students (NAPS) have visited the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State to assess the institution following some allegations levelled against its leadership.
The visitors, led by NAPS President Salaudeen Lukman of Kaduna Polytechnic, praised Oko Poly administrators for the manner they have led the institution.
There were charges of reckless suspension of lecturers and undue rustication of students among other allegatiuons.
The NAPS chief said it would have been suicidal if the union had acted based on information it received from various quarters against the school management.
He said that allegations of suspending lecturers with ignominy, rustication of students with reckless abandon and other anomalies, were heaped on the Rector of the school, Prof Godwin Onu.
Salaudeen, who said NAPS boasts of 21 million students in the country, said their visit had changed their perception of the happenings in Anambra and the institution.
He said during the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) their students were blackmailed, harassed, intimidated in the country especially in Lagos State, during their protest and in other states, but they moved on.
NAPS therefore commended Oko Polytechnic Rector Prof Onu for bringing innovations in the school system and introducing Computer Based Test (CBT) in the institution.
He said the introduction of CBT gave raise for petitions by some lecturers in the institution, who did not like the idea, adding that any lecturer that does not like it should resign henceforth.
Salaudeen, said that the incoming administration of president elect, Mohammadu Buhari, has zero tolerance for corruption, adding that those who had been swimming in corruption would not go unpunished.
After seeing some of the development strides in the school, NAPS president described the Rector as an agent of change, adding that the Association had selected him as the best polytechnic Rector in the country.
Furthermore, he said that the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Association would meet any time from now to pick a date for the award ceremony on the Oko Rector.
He said, “We are highly disappointed in some of the lecturers who had been complaining against the Rector, other Rectors in the country should emulate Prof Onu, we are indeed weakened by his achievements in this place”
“Do not have any form of U-turn in your policies, members of NAPS will serve as your enforcement agents in this country, and from the rate things are going, we believe that federal polytechnic will be the first in this cadre to be made a university in this country”
“We are not going to accommodate any further blackmail from the academic staff of this institution, enough is enough, and NAPS will take it personal, we want to rescue our education sector” Salaudeen threatened.
The chairman of the institution’s governing council; Dr. Azubuike Odukwe, told The Nation that the coming of the (NAPS) students will now give the institution a moment of respite.
He praised the students for coming to the school, at least to verify some of the allegations leveled against the Rector, who according to him, had brought light to the school.
According to him, “some people want to pull this institution down because of selfish interest, I want to advice the students that any where they see themselves in future, they should be on the positive side and not negative, no matter what ever pressure”.
“You should not allow anybody to mislead you in any thing you do, if you build the body, it helps the brain, this institution was built in a very lousy foundation and that is why we are rebuilding it now”.
For the Deputy Rector, Academics, Dr. Mrs. Gladys Anene, people should know that only God makes kings.
She told The Nation that God would reward members of NAPS who came to verify the situation of things without relying on rumour to make mistakes from a distance.
Speaking with The Nation after the student’s visit, the Rector, Prof Onu, commended members of the institution’s board for being progress oriented and the understanding group.
He said that all the petitions against him and flagrant setting up of panels for one investigation or the other in the school amount to distraction without the petitioners knowing it.
According to him, “I have seen red in this institution but God has been alive, whether they like it or not, this institution must change for real, if God is with you, anybody fighting you will hit the rocks”.
“The level of extortion by lecturers was so alarming in this school and some of the lecturers failed to realize that some of these students are finding themselves, these are the kind of anomalies we are fighting against here and not suspension of lecturers”.
“They are extorting poor students and if you query that, they run to their association that you are fighting them, they label you enemy of progress and blackmail you, but we can’t continue like that,” Onu said.
