In an interview with SaharaReporters, the man said the rector alongside some principal officers of the polytechnic have been squandering funds belonging to the institution since he was appointed in 2018.
A man who spoke on condition of anonymity has alleged gross misconduct and misappropriation of funds by the rector of Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic Kaduna, Mohammed Kabir Abdullahi.
In an interview with SaharaReporters, the man said the rector alongside some principal officers of the polytechnic have been squandering funds belonging to the institution since he was appointed in 2018.
He said concerned members of the institution had written to the State Commissioner of Education but the case was not probed as expected.
According to him, on February 18, 2020, a circular was passed by the Kaduna State government which stated that cases of illegality, corruption and mismanagement in public institutions in the state should be reported.
He said this was, however, not implemented as several letters had been written to the office of the Commissioner of Education but the case had not been probed.
He said, “A circular was passed on the 18th of February, 2020 that any illegality, corruption and mismanagement in public institutions under the Kaduna State government should be reported to the Ministry of Justice. Unfortunately, that circular is not forthcoming because in Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic in Zaria, there are lots of fraudulent acts and illegality taking place and we have written several times but the commissioner of education and secretary to the state government are not acknowledging the reports.
“Illegality is taking place in Nuhu seriously. The rector assumed office on October 8, 2018, and he started collecting salaries from the Kaduna State government but we discovered that he was also collecting salaries from Kaduna State Polytechnic for October, November and December 2018. That is simply fraud. It was reported but nothing happened.”
He also alleged that the rector, upon assuming his post, used funds from the polytechnic's account to renovate the rector’s quarters which he never lived in up till now.
“He renovated the rector's quarters with N16 million without approval or due process. He stays in the hotel on university funds, the house is now getting dilapidated. This was also reported but nothing happened.”
In a petition signed by a non-profit organisation, Association for Anti-Corruption Crusade, Abdullahi was also alleged to have allocated funds to NBTE (National Board for Technical Education) programme courses for accreditation without proper documentation or analysis of how the money was spent.
It was also alleged that the rector awarded TETfund capital project contracts to his associates without due process.
“The Rector takes unilateral decisions on official matters even when it is against the service rules. He made the academic board of the institution irrelevant whereas the academic board is the highest body in the school, it is the most important when it comes to decision making," the petition read.
It was also stated that the previous administration had bought a share in a Thrift and Credit Cooperative Society for the sum of N20 million in 2007, the proceeds of which were paid to the polytechnic's account.
The source said after Abdullahi assumed office, the rector and management withdrew the money but did not remit to the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
“In 2017, a summer programme was carried out to assist students to remedy their carryover courses on a condition that they will pay half of their school fee, the institution realised N32, 480, 000,” the petition read.
The group, however, alleged that the fund was mismanaged also.