ASUP accuses Bauchi agric college of taking bribe to issue admissions, certificates

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), chapter of the Bauchi College of Agriculture has alleged that the school’s Provost, Registrar, Bursar and Chief librarian collects bribes and issue admissions and certificates illegally to unqualified students.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday in Bauchi, the chairman of the union, Comrade Ahmed Mohammed Bununu accompanied by his executive council members, accused college principal officers of having for some time now “thrown the institution’s standards into the mud’ by issuing results to students who were either expelled or withdrawn from the college as a result of carry-overs after extorting money from them.

The ASUP chairman, while buttressing his point, revealed that “one of the cases of impunity being exhibited by the management of the college” was that of an NDII Animal Health and Production student with admission number ’14/1230103’ who was withdrawn due to poor academic performance with CGPA of 0.72 but was allegedly issued a statement of result dully signed by the registrar.

He further claimed that on March 2 this year, another student of NDII Animal Health and Production Department with admission number ‘14/1230454, HND II student of Animal Production Technology with admission number 14/1220065 who had carry-overs and deficiencies in their SSCE respectively were allegedly issued statements of results by the registrar against the standing rule.

Apart from the aforementioned candidates, Bununu cited other instances when an HND II horticulture and lands scape technology student with registration number 15/1610013 who had deficiency in his ‘O level result’ was issued with a statement of results just like another NDII animal health and production technology with admission number 14/1230020 who was expelled from the institution due to examination malpractice were allegedly given statements of results though their names did not feature in the approved list of graduating students.

“We, as a union have been having sleepless nights and restless days due to the high level of corruption been exhibited in our institution and will not allow the intent and purpose upon which this institution was established to be in vain, hence this crusade for the call to rescue Bauchi State College of Agriculture that is now swimming in the pool of decadence which if not urgently addressed can lead to the extinction of this great College,’’ they warned.

Comrade Bununu also claimed that the union had written the state government through the special adviser to the Governor Mohammed Abubakar on education, the school governing council and the state house of assembly on the matter but action was yet to be taken.

He therefore urged the relevant authorities, stakeholders and anti graft agencies in the country to wade into the matter by embarking on discreet investigation with the documents provided by the union and sanctioning all those involved in the dastardly act in order to salvage the image of the college and serving as deterrence to others in future.

He threatened that, “Except the authorities acts within 21 days from today, the union will be left with no option than to embark on 3 days warning strike and thereafter an indefinite strike which will last long as the issues mentioned above are not attended to and addressed appropriately the way they ought to be.”

Samuel Luka, Bauchi