SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the Rector of the institution, Prof. Tamunoimi Michael, in a letter sent to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu accused Adebayo of corruption.
The Ijaw Defence Council has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny’s governing council chairman, Otunba Dayo Adebayo, over alleged corruption rocking the institution
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the Rector of the institution, Prof. Tamunoimi Michael, in a letter sent to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu accused Adebayo of corruption.
He further accused the council chairman of subverting due process and executing projects in the institution through his cronies and private companies.
“The advent of the recently inaugurated Governing Council headed by Otunba Dayo Adebayo has cast a shadow of doom and a spell on the institution, throwing the entire system into disarray, anarchy and disharmony. Post-inauguration meeting held at Abuja clearly expose the raison d'etre of the Governing Council,” Tamunoimi had said.
“The first question they asked was how much the polytechnic has in its account. Secondly, they are politicians, scavenging for money. Immediately they started asking for contract awards, kickback and mobilisation of funds. To appease the chairman due to his consistent pressure mounted on the institution, the bursar has to arrange 20 million naira to the chairman and 6 million naira to Dr. Doshuro, a member of the council at the first instance from some of the contractors.”
Reacting, Kieri Idafurofha Bristol, spokesperson of the Ijaw Defense Council, Bonny Chapter asked the anti-graft agencies to “investigate all the transactions published by SaharaReporters newspaper, recover the sums and refund this to the Federal Government treasury.”
He added, “It is with utmost displeasure that we have keenly observed the happenings in Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny, which is the only higher institution of learning in Bonny kingdom. The latest being a news report by SaharaReporters exposing the corrupt practices of the institution’s governing council headed by one Otunba Dayo Adebayo. It’s so sad that the once well organised and fast growing citadel of learning is now but a shadow of it former progressive self.
“Any clog in the development and growth of Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny or intimidation of respected Ijaw sons or daughter who are doing their very best to grow the only place for higher learning in Bonny Kingdom will be strongly resisted. Upon investigation and fact-finding move after the story by SaharaReporters, we found the following: Mr Otunba Adebayo-led Governing Council has overtaken the administrative process of the school as reported.
“Money meant to pay resource persons of the school of continuous education (part-time program) was diverted to enrich Mr Otunba Adebayo-led Governing Council members in addition to backlog of overhead that was released to the school in the month of December 2021. The aftermath of this is that the resource persons of the school of continuous education have refused to teach and that arm of the programme has not commenced lectures. The affected students are threatening to go on rampage and subsequently go to court.
“Mr Otunba Adebayo-led Governing Council rejected nomination of Prof Banigo a onetime vice Chancellor of a prestigious university to serve as the Bonny Kingdom representative in the Governing Council of the institution, which is a slap to Bonny kingdom. Mr Otunba Adebayo-led Governing Council consistently demanded for funds and have hijacked the contract processes of the polytechnic.
“The syphoning has gone to the extent such that the TETFUND project money of the polytechnic with the Central Bank has been tampered with through a contractor who has abandoned his various projects.
“The Ijaw Defence Council Bonny hereby calls upon the federal government through its various agencies such as the EFCC and ICPC to investigate the library project after receiving more than 60% of the allotted funds and while the contractor has not commence other projects up till now. It is clear from the above that the Otunba Bayo Adebayo-led Governing Council and their allays in the federal Ministry of Education as well as the NBTE are determine to ground this school through their unscrupulous quest for money.
“We call on the EFCC and the ICPC to as a matter of public interest to come and investigate the happenings in the polytechnic. Failure to adhere to this within two weeks, we shall mobilise all Ijaw sons and daughters for a sustained protest within the ambit of the law.”