Another student lamented that "these lecturers are heartless; they are seeing what is going on in the country [that there is no money available]. Yet they are asking us to pay such a huge amount. Are they expecting us to go and steal?"
Final year students at the Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha North Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta State have accused their lecturers of extorting students.
The students told SaharaReporters that their supervisors routinely demand money ranging from N20, 000 to N50, 000 to have their graduation projects supervised.
One of the students in HND II, Accounting, who pleaded for anonymity, alleged that one Mr. Lucky Inaya, a Lecturer and Supervisor and the Head of the Accounting Department (HOD), have demanded bribes ranging from N30, 000. This fee is in addition to an initial N5000 they paid for their project topic to be approved.
"The lecturers usually force the students to a particular business center, either in the school or outside, where students must type their projects and pay a N30, 000 bribe to the operator. Each of us in our group must pay N30, 000 to the man who owns the business center where the HOD directed us to go and type the project. He has a list where he writes the names of those that have paid,” one student said.
Another student lamented that "these lecturers are heartless; they are seeing what is going on in the country [that there is no money available]. Yet they are asking us to pay such a huge amount. Are they expecting us to go and steal?"
Further investigations by SaharaReporters revealed that the practice has been going on at the institution for a very long time. Professors like Mr. Isika of the Mass Communications department, and Mr. Ogbemi Bricken, the head of department for Mass Communications, are said to be among those charging students money for projects and other illegal fees.
When contacted about the illegal development, the Rector of the Institution, Mrs. Edner Morgekwu, claimed ignorance of such activities in the institution. She told SaharaReporters that she has not received any of such complaints from students and directed our correspondent to the Dean Student Affairs, Mr. Frank Ikeji, for clarification. When a call was placed to the Dean of Student Affairs, his mobile line was not reachable.