Kaduna Polytechnic’s Unending Crisis -By Musa Adamu Baba

The crisis rocking the Kaduna Polytechnic over the appointment of a new substantive rector has assumed a ridiculous dimension as the Governing Council recently recommended the Ag. Rector, Dr Suleiman Umar, for appointment as a substantive rector despite being probed by the Independent Corrupt and Malpractices Commission (ICPC). It could be recalled, the polytechnic’s Governing Council, led by Senator Mohammed Mohammed, on November 17, 2021 had approved the extension of another six months for Dr Umar to serve on an acting capacity; an action that violates the Polytechnic (Amendment) Act 2019 that forbids such further extension.Of the three contenders or candidates submitted to the Honourable Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, by the Governing Council, Dr Yahaya Saleh Ibrahim, who is the Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Kaduna State University (KASU), Makarfi Campus, came top, with an initial score of 71%.

Unfortunately, thare was an allegations that his score was reduced to 69% the second day. The governing council manipulated the result to favour Dr Suleiman Umar who by all indication, was distant second. This brazen illegality should be quickly suspended to save the process of appointing substantive rector a rancour free and more transference.

Besides manipulating the results against the best accepting standard, Dr Suleiman Umar has not met up with the requirements to be appointed rector. He has his Higher National Diploma mathematics education, BSc mathematics education,master mathematics education and Phd mathematics education. It may interest you to know, Kaduna polytechnic has not mathematics programs at the moment. By appointing Dr Suleiman as a rector, it will be a big slap to the institution and will be subjected to petition and litigation in the future. This issue has been raised by professor Idris Bugaje, the executive secretary, National Board of technical education, in a letter he sent to the minister of education recently. The polytechnic governing council is hell-bent to approve this illegality. Their desperation to make him substantive rector has come even when Dr Suleiman is enjoying unlawful tenure extension and his hand fully soiled in corruption involving award of bogus contracts running into millions of naira.

There is the need for minister of education, Malam Adamu Adamu,to quickly wade into this impending crises and resolve it once and for all. The crises has continued to linger with violation of polytechnic acts become the order of the day. The conduct of the council, registrar and acting rector should be sanctioned to serve as deterrent to others polytechnics. The crises in Kaduna polytechnic should be quickly nipped into bud. However, the onus lies on the honourable minister of education to ensure the appointment is a merit based and those who tried to maneuver are punished.

Musa Adamu Baba, Kaduna state.