Kwara Poly, Ministry clash over staff recruitment

The Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, owned by the government has engaged in a clash of authority with the state Ministry of Tertiary Education, over the vex issue of staff recruitment for state owned tertiary institutions in the state.

Newspot recalls that the state Ministry of Tertiary Education, recently accused the authorities of the Polytechnic of engaging in illegal recruitment of staff.

The Ministry’s Commissioner, Dr Alabi Afeez Abolore, in a statement issued at the weekend by the Chief Press Secretary of the ministry, Mrs Monsurat Amuda Kanike, threatened to sanction the tertiary institution if it continues with the act.

The commissioner also warned other state owned institutions to desist from the practice without the approval of the supervisory ministry or face the full wrath of the ministry’s sanction.

However, in a reaction Wednesday, barely four days after the warning by the Ministry of Tertiary Education, the Chairman, Governing Council of Kwara state Polytechnic, Yahaya Ahmed Yinusa, disclaimed what he described as discrediting news about the institution.

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In a statement personally signed by the chairman, he defended the institution saying that “all actions taken by it are legitimate and in accordance with the Polytechnic Law.”

He said “According to Part III, Sections 10 (a) of the Kwara State Polytechnic Law, CAP. S12 No. 4 of 2006, the Governing Council is “responsible for the general management of the affairs of the Polytechnic and in particular the control of the property and the finances of the Polytechnic and shall also have power to do anything which in its opinion is calculated to facilitate the carrying out of the purpose of the Polytechnic and promote its best interest”.

“Furthermore, Part III, Section 10A.(1)(c) of the same law under reference empowers the Council to “appoint, promote, dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over the staff of the Polytechnic”.

He said the Polytechnic has always been following and always in support of the populist programmes of the Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq led administration in the state.

“Therefore, the Council wishes to state categorically that all appointments, promotions, increment in salary and conversion of appointment were all done in line with the extant law of the Institution as quoted above. Thus, they cannot be reversed as being insinuated,” he declared.