Kano State Polytechnic has before now, been identified as an institution with moral and academic outstanding quality. The product of the school has been identified with an outstanding performance. There were no filed or environment where the Alumni of the school would not be counted among the best out of peers. Historically the school has served as a breading ground for professionals as well as successful personalities as both lecturers and students. The current undefeatable chairman of the popular Integrity Group that was nationally acclaimed as the group that maintains decency and accountability in the House of Assembly Honourable Faruk Lawan has passed through the Kano State Polytechnic as a lecturer.
Today Kano State Polytechnic known glory is declining to a mere den of a syndicate perpetrating all sharp practices to enrich themselves at the expense of the school’s former glory and goodwill to the detriment of its student and Alumni. More so, that the so called gang appeared to be adamant to their actions due to the fact that they are currently enjoying the name and respect the school gained in the past days of its existence. In those days, there is no student that could survive through the school with academic laxity. A student that once draw his career as a student of the school due to his inability to cope with the rigorous academic discipline, has to pursue a B.Sc in another University else where. Same person has now being employed as a lecturer in the same department he failed to reach standards.
Another incidence is the case of rampant cancellation of examinations virtually from all schools and departments of the polytechnic. The most prevalent among the schools is the school of management studies. The school has witnessed series of examination misdemeanors, malpractices and frauds since the school find itself under the tutelage of one Mrs Borodo, her tenure as the Director of the school witnessed series of atrocities committed to derive undue advantage for her and cronies.
Her tragic exit and that of appointing Malam Umar Kibiya, the self appointed life Head of Department of Accountancy in the School to serve in Acting capacity as the Director of the School raised suspicions. The most shocking incidence happened when the same elements fielded Mallam Tahir to serve as the Director of the school. The team ruined the school to the extent that both the academic community and people of the State has to resort to divine intervention because of the tragedy that may befall them over the atrocities committed by these elements.
Readers may be interested to know some instances where this team of disgruntled elements perpetrated their evils, though time and space may not warrant to present all in-to-to. These people went as far as conniving to sell out to scavengers the examination scripts written by the students of the Accountancy Department in year 2002/2003 academic year. This evil was done to allow Mallam Umar Kibiya escape the wrath of law over the illegal addition of 10 marks each to few graduating students of National Diploma in Accountancy with intention to allow his girlfriend a free pass. The case was raised by Mallam Tijjani Shehu Darma and was rebuffed by the school Director and his Cronies.
Another case of employing substandard staff in the Accountancy Department was also uncovered, where the same HOD, Mallam Umar Kibiya employed lecturers that are below the NBTE standard including his own In-law to serve as his lieutenants in the Department. This action clearly signifies his intention to ruin the reputation the school has made over the years with provision of half-barked graduates from the school.
A student was also apprehended with a fake result issued by the department. The student who was admitted to undergo HND in Accountancy presented a fake National Diploma in Accountancy result duly authenticated by the HOD and the examination officer from the same Department in 2007. The case was laid to rest with both parties apportioning blame on other.
Others include scandal of a well broadcasted case of a lecturer of the Department of Accountancy, though accused the HOD Mallam Umar Kibiya and his cronies for the framed up. The fact was that the lecturer was nabbed by the police in one Hotel named Dorris along Ashton Road Kano trying to play the role of Mr. Lecturer as played by Artiste Idris Abdulkarim. Mr. Lecturer was found half naked with a married female student in a Hotel room with their previous examination question papers and answer booklets. The student when contacted said that Mr. Lecturer insisted to break the sanctity of her matrimony through having the knowledge of her canal. That was what made her to invite the police into the matter.
The most shocking was when these elements connived to open a separate bank account and illegally authorized the sales of the school’s admission forms that runs into hundreds of thousands of naira so as to move fortune out of the school fortress at the detriment of the state educational sector, apart from Accountancy Departmental Students’ Union fees collected by HOD Mallam Kibiya for several years that are unaccounted for. The school is first in hierarchy of the schools under the state polytechnic. And that the Kano State polytechnic is the second largest educational institution owned by the State apart from the Kano State University of Science and Technology (KUT) Wudil.
In another disgusting scenario, that involved the graduating student of HND Accountancy of year 2004/2005 academic year. The HOD Mallam Kibiya has been reported to have accorded undue priority to one Haruna Bako Dakata a student of the former and also a Director at the Kano State Ministry of Works. Dakata and his boy Usman Uba Usman were said to have enjoyed first hand superior treatment in the class above other students, despite their actual physical academic performances as being rated below average. Still the HOD was, said to create such angst, rivalry and unwarranted grumbling among the class members. The HOD went to the extent of awarding the duo the whole 30 percent over the 30% marks required as continuous assessment in his own lectured course of Taxation. The current Member Representing Kibiya State Constituency in the Kano State House of Assembly Honourable Maifada Bello Kibiya could attest to this because he was also a member of the class.
This trend went unchecked until when those sacred cows of Mallam Kibiya appeared to have the highest grade of a good upper credit. Other lecturers grumbling on the State of affairs concocted a story that the Advance financial accounting paper was said to have leaked before the actual time for the paper. Aiming at proving the relationship of Mallam Kibiya and his sacred cows. The situation that turned to be pathetic that the course lecturer and also the school examination officer Mallam Ibrahim Alhassan Haruna (ACA) has to bring in some students in order to make them scapegoats so as to laid the burning issue to rest.
The students Bala H.G, Isyaku A.S., Abubakar H.M, and Nasiru U. These students were interrogated thoroughly by the HOD Kibiya masterminded Examination Malpractice Committee on several occasions and at the end of their sittings, Nasiru Umar who was a former staff of the polytechnic and also an in-law to Haruna Bako Dakata a state Director and also Mallam Kibiya’s sacred cow was exonerated. While the 3 other scapegoats were reported to the police for further interrogation. The 3 scapegoats were subsequently served with expulsion letters at the police station including another student M. Abba that was not invited by the Examination Malpractice Committee. The police investigation was found that was exonerated all the students including M. Abba that was joined without reference.
In the same vain, the almighty HOD uses his own authority to overrule the school decision through the registrar of the school Mallam Mansur and his ever separating evil minded Acting School Director Mallam Tahir to frustrate the Police investigation report to a halt. The Investigating Police Officer, ASP Jadriri Dayyabu who was presently attached with NAFDAC Kano Office could not be reached before writing this report. However, the delay in uncovering the Police investigation report is justified as trying to deny the respective students the rights to their sweat. Because justice delayed is no doubt justice denial. It is now over 3 years since their expected graduation date of 2004/2008.
The students after series of consultations decided to seek legal redress by filing their petition against the school before the Kano State High Court of Justice. In his observations, the Presiding Judge, Justice Shehu Atiku, the present Chief Judge of the State (Kano State) ordered for an out of court settlement on two occasions to be spearheaded by the Kano State Ministry of Justice. In the same vain, the Kano State Polytechnic evil syndicates frustrated the settlement process and stood firm for logical conclusion of the trial. The reasons for doing so is to humiliate the students and make them to suffer undue delay in judicial proceedings that will consume the material time of the students that they may have used in deriving their deprived benefit of their education and certificates. Thus, the HOD Kibiya has been reported saying “by the way we have nothing to loose they are at the receiving end, the longer the case, the less the certificate value to them. Therefore, we will continue to drag the judicial proceedings over the years till the certificate becomes valueless to them”. Quoting from his own words.
What a wicked and unguarded statement! Is it something to be proud of and a source of delight when a person in authority abused his office to deprive a less privileged person his right(s)? Is he the highest authority to decide on others fate? That he chose to drag Court Actions to his benefit at the detriment of others? What were other superior authorities doing to checkmate the excesses of such disgruntled syndicates before they caused more havoc? Is depriving these innocent students of their rights not going to increase social antagonism within the society that is battling with delinquencies and menace of “yan jagaliya?
All above questions and more could be raised in one’s memory after reading this piece. The worst part of it was when the current Rector of the Kano State polytechnic who was baffled with the pathetic situations within the polytechnic resorted to reconstitute a Reconciliation and Conflict Resolution Committee headed by Hajiya Ladi Abubakar and 9 other members from all nook and crannies of the school, basically to listen to all grievances as well as issues of infringement of rights and privileges of staff and students of the polytechnic community. The Committee submitted its report in October, 2007 with excellent recommendations. Part of which dealt with the case of the 4 wrongly expelled students. The report faulted the HOD Kibiya’s manipulated Examination Committee’s Report and made recommendations to recall the students and prescribed penalties on HOD Kibiya and his lieutenants.
However, the effort of the Rector to sanitize the polytechnic was halted because of the indictment of the school untouchable syndicates. Under normal circumstances, the recommendations made by the report should have been used to iron out all differences and disaffections nursed by many people within the academic community of the polytechnic, but rather met its untimely grave at the dictates of Registrar of the School Mallam Mansur, HOD Accountancy Mallam Umar Kibiya, Acting Director of the School Mallam Tahir and their cronies within the vicious evil syndicates operating as untouchables within the school.
With all these happenings in an environment that when put together all the schools within the sphere of influence of the Kano State Polytechnic constitute less than 1% of the total area within Kano State as a whole. But in effect were seen to have a devastating effect on the socio-economic and political activities of the whole state in general. If the witch hunted and ravaged students should make it political, it can out-rightly be used against the present Administration. But for their obedience and legal consciousness they resorted to follow the prescribed channels. But, not withstanding if the students were finally overpowered, what havoc could be projected that the anger and depressions sustained by them could be quantified with retaliation of a person that was rendered hopeless by another’s greed and wickedness.
The state of ministry for higher education, Adaidaita Sahu and the likes of these agencies should view this matter seriously, including the state government itself. Because, having such people that have no humane feelings that will perpetrate evil and safeguard their doings with all authority, vigor and energy by making others to suffer through their wrong doings. If allowed to go unpunished, it is in itself inviting calamities all over the State. The government should view its responsibilities seriously and ensure that all persons entrusted with authority and responsibilities are properly under critical checks and balances. “Is it possible to compare enlightened and the dull, only those with sense understood”.
BY MUHAMMAD BELLO
2 KUNDILA QUARTERS KANO
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