FG Sets Up Committee To Stop Ado Ekiti Poly Crisis

The federal government has set up a Fact-finding and Reconciliation Committee to look into the crisis rocking the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.

The committee members arrived the state capital yesterday, with the unions demanding fairness and justice from the panel to foster lasting peace .

It would be recalled that the unions, comprising Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics and Non-Academic Staff Union had during the crisis accused the rector, Dr Theresa Akande of diverting N350 million workers’ cooperative deductions.

Other allegations include highhandeness, corruption , double-standard and gross abuse of office. They had demanded her immediate sack for peace to be restored.

The panel led by the representative of its chairman, Mr Olu Nipede in company of the rector of the polytechnic, Dr Theresa Akande yesterday paid a courtesy visit on Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo and the commissioner of Police, Mr Etop James.

Nipede while speaking at the palace of Ewi of Ado Ekiti, said the primary objective of the committee , as set up by the immediate past minister of Education, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau, is geared towards resolving the crisis between the rector and the unions and rescue the polytechnic from destruction.

“Efforts to find solution to this crisis in the past through interventions from various groups did not yield results. The terms of reference will require interfacing with Rector and the unions and we shall file our reports to the Ministry of Education for necessary actions,” he said.

But the SAANIP and ASUP’s chairmen , Dr Ayeni Oluwole and Tunji Owoeye, respectively, who later briefed newsmen , urged the panel to maintain neutrality and ensure that its recommendations would go a long way towards finding solutions to the seemingly intractable problems.