Ado Poly workers protest against alleged fraud, invite EFCC, ICPC
Academic activities were paralysed at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti on Wednesday as workers protested against alleged misappropriation of funds and budget padding by the rector, Mrs. Taiwo Akande.
The protest was the fourth in three weeks by all the school’s unions. The workers shut all gates and prevented the movement of vehicles. They denounced Akande in songs and urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the institution’s account.
The workers, who had been on strike for three weeks, accused the rector of overloading the nominal roll of staff with names of retirees and deceased persons, leading to alleged embezzlement of N250 million by the management since 2014.
Akande, however, denied the allegation. She described them as baseless. She asked leaders of the unions to stop misdirecting their members and resume work in the interest of the students.
The chairmen of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Tunji Owoeye, and of the Senior Staff Union of Polytechnics (SSANIP), Oluwole Ayeni, both mobilised their members to stage the protest.
To prevent violence, the Commissioner of Police, Etop James, deployed his men to the scene.
Addressing the workers, the SSANIP chairman accused the rector of short-changing the staff by short paying them. He added that the rector had refused to yield to their request for payment of N131 million cooperative deductions to workers, as well as effecting workers’ promotions for 2014, 2015 and 2016, in spite of their consistent demands.
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