NANS petitions EFCC, ICPC over alleged fraud by Ilaro Poly rector

The national leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) is set to submit a petition at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) against the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun state, Dr. Olusegun Aluko over allegations of financial misappropriation and embezzlement.

National Vice President of the students’ umbrella body, Comrade Ojo Raymond who made this disclosure at a press conference on Sunday in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, said it had become imperative for NANS to take a drastic step to call the attention of the federal government to probe activities of the rector, especially as it relates to award of contracts in the polytechnic.

The students’ body alleged that “majority of the projects did not follow due process and were executed by the rector through his fronts and private companies.”

NANS accused the rector of orchestrating the arrest of the suspended Students’ Union Government (SUG) President of the polytechnic, Comrade Adegboye Olatunji for challenging the management of the institution over the allegation of financial misappropriation.

The student body also called on President Muhammadu Buhari, through the minister of education to urgently set up a panel to investigate the execution of ongoing projects and projects executed by Aluko.

Raymond said: “The national leadership of NANS will march to the headquarters of EFCC and ICPC on July 7, to submit a petition against the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Dr. Olusegun Aluko for gross financial misappropriation and embezzlement.

“The National President of NANS, Comrade Danielson Akpan will lead the 16 national executive members, 37 state chairmen of the Joint Campus Committee of NANS, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and the four zonal coordinators of NANS in the march to the headquarters of EFCC and ICPC.

“We call on the chairmen of the EFCC and that of the ICPC to as matter of urgency investigate the administration of all funds allocated or generated by Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, since the appointment of Dr. Aluko as the rector of the polytechnic,” Raymond said.

He lamented alleged constant oppression and victimisation of student union leaders by managements of tertiary institutions across the country in attempt to kill students’ activism, disclosing that NANS has set aside a day, tagged: “National day of action against victimisation and intimidation of students’ union leaders.”

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According to him, the national leadership of NANS has issued a directive to all the students’ union government leaders in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory to organise a mass protest against alleged victimisation and oppression of students.

He added: “As students’ leaders, we will continue to resist any attempt or calculated attempts to students’ unionism in Nigeria as we will continue to defend the interests of our students at all times in all fronts.

“We will equally fight this deliberate effort to destroy our comrade as we have been able to ascertain in our fact-finding.

“The drama surrounding the arrest of the students’ union President of Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Adegboye Olatunji, most especially as it relates to the allegation of cultism levied against him by the police in Ogun state was orchestrated by the Rector, Dr. Aluko, when all attempts to cow him from raising some fundamental questions as regards the management of the institution’s resources and pertinent issues on students’ welfare most especially increase in student accommodation fees by private hostel operators of which the rector also has a business concern.

“This is evident in the quick manner in which the management of the institution suspended Adegboye without giving him the opportunity to defend himself in line with principle of fair hearing as guaranteed and enshrined under Section 36(1) of the Constitution (as amended).

“We are not unaware of the antics of the majority of our institutions’ administrators in using the instruments of blackmail, victimization and intimidation to destabilize unionism in most of our campuses with pronouncements aimed at making the union stooges in their hand.”

The students’ umbrella body called on the rector of the polytechnic to immediately and unconditionally reinstate Olatunji pending the outcome of the on-going investigation of the frivolous allegations against him.