By Ogemdi Ozoemenam, Awka

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been advised to stick to the Act and extant laws establishing Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in Nigeria in order to maintain harmonious co-existence and orderliness in the tertiary education management system.

This was the consensus at the 2nd Annual Lecture Series of General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida held in Awka on Friday being organised by Federal Polytechnic Oko (FedPoko) Alumni Association.

Speaking on the topic "Challenges and crises in Polytechnic Administration in Nigeria: the Interplay of Supervisory bodies, Governing Council, Management and Alumni", the former Rector of Federal Polytechnic Oko and Ex-Vice Chancellor Paul University Awka, Prof Ugochukwu Nzewi identified presidency, Federal Ministry of Education and National Board for Technical the Education (NBTE) as critical contributors to the challenges and crises in the administration of the Polytechnics in the country.

He noted that that since education is in the concurrent list in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, NBTE which accredits programmes offered in both federal and state owned Polytechnics, should equally accredit appointment of the personnel in these Institutions.

"The question can be asked as to how the Board defines accreditation if the qualifications of the administratots are not prioritised.

"The Federal Government under General Muhammadu Buhari established five new Polytechnics and appointed unqualified persons as rectirs, registrars and bursars. Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) took the Federal Government to the Federal Industrial Coutt, Abuja Division.

"Her Lordship, Hon Justice O.A. Obaseki Osaghae gave judgement in favour of ASUP. Unfortunately, NBTE as the supervisory agency appears not to have made any serious efforts in the enforcement and judgment with the result that the illegally appointed officers served out their tenures."

Earlier, the Ag Rector of the Institution, Dr Chukwugekwu Eugene Ubaka said his four month administration has taken steps towards repositioning the Polytechnic for overall efficiency by restoring sanity and creating a befitting environment deserving of an educational institution.

"We repositioned hawkers and business marchants who hitherto literred every noon and cranny with their wares posing serious danger and threat to wholesale academic learning.

"With approval of the academic board, we redeployed some academic staff to their relevant discipline s and departments in line with their area of training thereby putting square pegs in square holes. Two new academic departments, Evonomics and Legal Studies were created and housed in the School of General Studies.

"We granted Special Amnesty examination to enable students who had overstayed, to graduate while introducing reforms that will effectively checkmate bottlenecks connected with collection of certificates and transcripts by our graduates."

Dr Ubaka urged the alumni association to jettison set of graduation and live under the umbrella of Federal Polytechnic Oko Alumni Association to contribute their quota towards the growth and sustained development of their alma mater.

"Previously the school was a serene environment for study unufortunately, wolves entered into our federal Polytechnic, the serenity left. Now I have restored our environment for study.

"Some of the problem in the Institution were configured by some principal officers of the Polytechnic and God is helping us to dismantle them, and they shall be completely dismantled".

Responding, the National President, Federal Polytechnic Oko Alumni Association, Nze Henry Chukwuka Nnebe said they need funding to complete Ufuma Campus Gate, female Hostel, take off of the IBB International Museum, completion and furnishing of state-of-the-art, air conditioned conference Hall and generating set to power the Alumni Secretariat.

He said it was IBB that in 1993 upgraded the Institution to a federal Polytechnic and did well to improve the lives of the citizens.

According to him, the alumni association is serving as a great catalyst for the development of her alma mater, hence is using her position to engage expertise o brainstorm and find a lasting solutions to the impasse of administrative chaos bedeviling the Nigerian Polytechnics.

Discussants like the NBTE South East Zonal Director, Dr Ngozi Okelekwe; Chairman Governing Council, Federal College of Education, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Alex Eyengho; former ASUP National President, Comrade Chibuzo Asomugha and National President, FONPAA and National President, Kaduna Polytechnic Alumni Association, Abba Anas Adamu suggested realistic solutions towards solving the Polytechnic problems in the country, with particular reference to FedPoko.###