The national leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) said that it would on Tuesday, July 7 submit a petition at the national headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices & other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro (FPI), Ogun State, Dr. Olusegun Aluko over allegations of financial misappropriation and embezzlement.
The National Vice President of the students’ umbrella body, Comrade Ojo Raymond made this disclosure at a press briefing held at Abeokuta on Sunday.
The students’ body said it had become imperative to take this drastic step to call the attention of the federal government to probe activities of the Rector, especially as it relates to award of contracts in the Polytechnic.
The students said, “majority of the projects did not follow due process and were executed by the Rector through his fronts and private companies”.
NANS further accused the Rector of orchestrating the arrest of the suspended Students’ Union Government (SUG) President of the Polytechnic, Comrade Adegboye Emmanuel Olatunji for challenging the management of the institution over the allegation of financial misappropriation.
The student umbrella body also called on President Muhammadu Buhari, through the Honourable Minister of Education to urgently set up a panel to investigate the execution of ongoing projects and projects executed by Aluko, alleging that majority of the projects did not follow due process and were executed by the Rector through his fronts and private companies.
Ojo said, “National leadership of NANS will march down to the headquarters of EFCC and ICPC on Tuesday, July 7 to submit a petition against the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Dr. Olusegun Aluko for gross financial misappropriation and embezzlement.
“The National President of NANS, Comrade Danielson Bamidele Akpan will lead the 16 National Excos, 37 states chairmen of the Joint Campus Committees (JCC) of NANS, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and the four Zonal Coordinators of NANS in the match to the headquarters of EFCC and ICPC.
“We call on the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and that of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to as matter of urgency investigate the administration of all funds allocated or generated by Federal Polytechnic Ilaro since the appointment of Dr. Aluko as the Rector of the polytechnic”, Raymond said.
He lamented alleged constant oppression and victimisation of student union leaders by managements of tertiary institutions across the country in attempt to kill students activism, disclosing that NANS has set aside a day, tagged, “National Day of Action Against Victimisation And Intimidation of Students Union Leaders”.
According to him, the national leadership of NANS has issued a directive to all the students union government leaders in all the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory to organise a mass protest against alleged victimisation and oppression of students”.
He added, “The National Executive Council of NANS has approved the proposal of a National day of Action against victimization and intimidation of Students Union leaders by Institutions management. In this direction the NANS National Secretariat has directed all Students Union Government in every state in the Federation to organise mass protest against Victimisation of our Students leader in their respective states before the National Day of Action to be held in Ogun state”.
“As students leaders, we will continue to resist any attempt or calculated attempts to destabilise students unionism in Nigeria as we will continue to defend the interests of our students at all times in all fronts.
We will equally fight this deliberate effort to destroy our Comrade as we have been able to ascertain in our fact-findings”.
“The drama surrounding the arrest of the Students’ Union President of Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Adegboye Emmanuel Olatunji most especially as it relates to the allegation of cultism levied against him by the Nigerian Police Force, Ogun State Command was orchestrated by the Rector, Dr. Aluko, when all attempts to cowed him from raising some fundamental questions as regards the management of the Institution resources and pertinent issues on Students welfare most especially increase in Student accommodation fees by private hostel operators of which the Rector also has a business concern was not yielded to by him”.
He said, “this is evident in the quick manner in which the management of the institution suspended Adegboye without giving him the opportunity to defend himself in line with principle of fair hearing as guaranteed and enshrined under Section 36(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended)”.
“We are not unaware of the antics of majority of our institutions’ administrators in using the instruments of blackmail, victimization and intimidation to destabilize unionism in most of our campuses with pronouncements aimed of making the Union stooges in their hand”.
The students umbrella body called on the Rector of the polytechnic to “immediately and unconditionally reinstate Olatunji pending the outcome of the on-going investigation of frivolous allegations against him.”
When contacted on phone, the Rector described the allegations of financial misappropriation levelled against him by the NANS as “baseless and unfounded.”
He denied influencing the award of projects contracts in the school to his cronies or self, saying all the contract documents, tenders and other vital documents are available for inspection and investigation.
Aluko, who challenged the NANS leadership to submit the petitions to the EFCC and the ICPC, declared that he was ready to face investigations from the anti-graft agencies.
On the victimisation of the suspended SUG president of the polytechnic, the Rector denied being a brain behind the travails of the students’ leader.
According to him, SUG had been charged to court for involving in cultism, adding “the moment the court clears him of the crime, the school management will not hesitate to reinstate him back in the school”.
