The recruitment process for a substantive Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede in Owerri, Imo State, is raising a lot of dust.
In a petition, Dr. Joshua Ikechukwu of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), alleged that the first resource person recruited for the conduct of the exercise was unqualified, arguing that the results from a process overseen by him should not be considered acceptable.
Ikechukwu said on the 6th of August, 2024, a seven-member selection board made up of representatives of the governing council, the academic board and the congregation, was constituted and inaugurated for the exercise in line with the Polytechnic Act 2019 as amended.
According to him, the appointment of Dr. Christopher Kalu Okoro, Rector of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, as a resource person by the Governing Council Chairman, Henry Ikoh, was faulted.
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He said: “It was stated that he (Dr. Okoro) was not qualified to function in that regard as the approved guidelines for such prescribed the appointment of a sitting Rector with not less than three years experience on the job or a former Rector with no more than 10 years post-service experience.
“Dr. Okoro who was a Lecturer II at Michael Okpara Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike before his appointment as Rector by Governor Otti of Abia state, is less than six months in office.
“His appointment as Rector Abia State Polytechnic took effect in March, 2024. He was therefore, evidently unqualified to play the role.”
The ASUP member said in an attempt to remedy the situation, a second resource person was appointed by the Council Chairman, same day, in the person of Associate Prof. Okorie Osonwa Kalu, a former Rector of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba.
“Associate Prof. Kalu served as Rector for less than 3 years (September, 2020 to March, 2023) before being replaced and therefore was also unfit for the assignment, despite being a former rector. He served for less than three years.”
He alleged that the Council Chairman who was the chairman of the Selection Board subjected the candidates for the position to a written test which was protested in writing by six out of the seven candidates.
“Other members of the Selection Board expressed dissatisfaction with the process too; particularly when the questions and the marking guide had been prepared by unknown persons in an unknown location and not by the Selection Board members themselves.
“The Chairman and the Resource persons insisted on the already prepared questions and marking guide for the exercise. Surprisingly too, there were armed security men from virtually all the security agencies in Nigeria to force compliance. At this point, members of the Selection Board exited the meeting with their score sheets.
“There was therefore, no collation of interview scores. Consequently, no report of the exercise was presented to the Governing Council for deliberation from the Selection Board as the exercise was inconclusive,” he said.
He said it was shocking that the chairman of the council took a “fake list” of successful candidates to Abuja and submitted it to the Minister for Education, Tahir Mamman.
This action, he said “provoked protest letters from all related persons and associations which the Hon. Minister subjected to investigation. While investigation was still on, a letter appeared from the presidency to the office of the Hon. Minister for Education endorsing one candidate.
“Speculations have it that the purportedly endorsed candidate was the candidate of one politician from Imo State who engineered the acclaimed presidential endorsement probably with falsified documents, false evidence and of course, a lot of money thrown around.
“This is grossly unfair and against the ethics of the civil service. What moral standing will this purportedly endorsed person have in the school? If this is allowed to stand, then it means students will at the end of the day be allowed to buy results from this Rector and approved by the council chairman.”
Earlier in a petition addressed to the Minister of Education, six persons, who sought interest in the institution’s substantive rector position, claimed that the recruitment process was flawed.
The six persons include Uzoma Ibeja, Christopher Onyiemenonu, Lilian Esiagu, Catherine Nwachukwu, Okafo Okereaffia, and Chinwe Okpoechi.
They said four out of the seven selection board members had earlier suggested that the exercise be halted, having observed anomalies, until all issues raised by the protesting candidates were addressed.
They said there was no collation of candidates’ results and no reports on the exercise that were written, signed, adopted, or submitted to the governing council.
They, therefore, dissociated themselves from any purported results of candidates for the position submitted to the Federal Ministry of Education by the Chairman of the Governing Council.
Efforts to reach Dr. Christopher Kalu Okoro, Rector of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, were not successful as he didn’t respond to calls or text messages.
Associate Prof. Okorie Osonwa Kalu, a former Rector of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, referred our correspondent to the governing council chairman, saying he was only invited as the chairman of the selection team.
“The Chairman of the Council of the institution appointed by the federal government is always in charge of the processes. When a rector is being selected, everything lies on the chairman of the governing council. If there is any complain about that selection, get to the person in charge,” he said.
Our correspondent was unable to reach the council chairman for comments.
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