The supremacy battle going on between the Federal Ministry of Education and the Governing Council of the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana has assumed a worrying dimension as the embattled Registrar,Mr. Jeremiah Akpabio has petitioned the House of Representative following the Ministry’s rejection of his illegal appointment by the Governing Council.
Trouble started when the Governing Council began the process of selecting new principal officers for the institution following an earlier advertisement.
The Selection team of the Governing Council had gone through the submissions of applicants in line with the advertisement . In their report sighted by journalists, the Council noted that while there were some qualified candidates for the office of the Rector, however, none of the applicants for the office of the Registrar, Bursar and Polytechnic Librarian satisfied the conditions spelt out in the advertorial.
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As a result of this, the Ministry of Education in a letter dated 27 September,2024 captioned: Report of the 22nd Meeting of the Governing Council Held on 11 September 2024″ signed by Dr. Ejeh ,A.U on behalf of the Minister of Education directed the Governing Council to follow due process in the selection of a substantive Rector while the offices of the Registrar, Bursar and Polytechnic Librarian be re-advertised.
In what seemed like following the instructions, the Governing Council scheduled a meeting for 3rd and 4th October to conduct interview for candidates applying for office of the Rector to which the Polytechnic had been instructed by the Council to invite.
However, in twist, after completing interviews for the office of the Rector on Friday, October 4th, the Governing Council, allegedly compromised, decided to conduct interview for the office of the Registrar, Bursar and Polytechnic Librarian against the directive of the Minister of Education.
This sudden and suspicious action by the Governing Council was resisted by then acting Rector,QS Uduak Inyang-Udoh and the Ministry’s representative, Mr. Oliye Fani Frank both who boycotted the illegal interview which was scheduled for Saturday 5th October,2024 in Ukana, the same day being scheduled for Local Government election in Akwa Ibom State and movement accordingly restricted.
The Council allegedly held her illegal interview on Saturday 5th October, where unqualified persons namely: Mr. Jeremiah Akpabio was named Registrar while Mr. Michael Akpan Essien was named Bursar and appointment letters presented to them on Sunday,7th October,2024.
Consequent upon this illegal appointment, ASUP at the National level had protested and threatened to go on strike describing the action of the Governing Council of Federal Polytechnic Ukana as an abuse of the Polytechnic Act.
The Ministry had written again directing the re-advertisement for the office of the Registrar, Bursar and Polytechnic Librarian to which the Council allegedly vowed never to honour. On the day that the new Ministry representative was to make the position of the ministry known during an emergency Governing Council meeting, thugs were allegedly hired and brought to the Polytechnic apparently to intimidate the Ministry of Education’s representative.
To cage the new Minister of Education who allegedly has refused to play ball, the embattled Registrar, Mr Jeremiah Akpabio had petitioned the House of Representative against the nullification of his illegal appointment. Mr. Jeremiah Akpabio,60 is a relative of the Senate President and has allegedly boasted to use the influence of the brother to be made Registrar.
Reacting to the allegation, the Chairman Governing Council of the Polytechnic, Alh Abubakar Yusuf absolved himself from the accusation, adding that he was not part of the panel that interviewed the ousted Registrar, as such he was not in a position to comment on the issue.
“They have responded to the allegation officially. I was not part of the interview panel that appointed the Registrar. I was sick so the people who were in the panel responded to the Minister. I have to look at their response before I can comment.” The chairman said.
