The ongoing rift between the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Federal Polytechnic Offa chapter, and the institution’s management has deepened, with the union accusing top officials of masterminding what it described as a multi-million-naira “accreditation fraud.”
In a statement on Monday, ASUP chairman, Dr. Idowu Atilola, alleged that a memo from the Director of Academic Planning, Dr. Waheed Oyelola Balogun, to the Rector, sought the staggering sum of ₦507,945,395 for the accreditation of 21 departments.
“The union’s insistence on being included in accreditation exercises is further justified by some of the unbelievable propositions spelt out in this memo,” Atilola said. “Of particular concern is the fact that the accreditation of 33 departments under the Rector, Dr. Kamoru Kadiri, in 2023/2024 was said to have cost about ₦50 million — yet the new proposal is more than ten times that figure.”
According to the union, the memo allocates just ₦100,000 to Heads of Departments — who will handle the bulk of the accreditation work — and ₦200,000 to deans, with both groups set to receive only ₦7.2 million in total from the proposed ₦508 million.
Atilola further alleged that ₦50 million was earmarked for the management and ₦20 million for the Governing Council.
He revealed that “another memo from the rector to the Governing Council requested the same amount proposed by the Director of Academic Planning,” claiming both documents prove a conspiracy “to siphon money from the polytechnic coffers,” which he said contributes to the institution’s decline.
The union also condemned what it described as an “unlawful request” by the rector to the Governing Council for entitlement packages for outgoing principal officers, despite a Federal Ministry of Education circular dated December 31, 2024 — and a National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) circular on January 15, 2025 — explicitly prohibiting such payments.
ASUP warned the Governing Council not to be drawn into “illegality” and vowed to pursue the matter with full determination.
“It is evident that the current management is more concerned with personal enrichment than the welfare of staff or progress of the institution,” the union declared. “We will continue to push for transparency, genuine staff welfare, and institutional advancement by all means necessary.”
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