The premises of the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, were a beehive of activities last Tuesday. Both the students and members of staff of the school were busy with one activity or another.

At the administrative block, the classrooms, laboratories, the arts department as well as the Yusuf Grillo auditorium in the institution, there were no dull moments.
Beyond this seeming friendly and relaxed environment, however, there were underling matters boiling in the oldest tertiary institution in the country. In fact, at the TETfund multipurpose hall on the campus, some members of the institution’s Governing Council, led by Chief Ebenezer Babatope, and the Rector, Dr. Kudirat Ladipo, were busy trying to extricate themselves from a series of allegations of fraud preferred against them.

The Bursar and the Chief Financial Officer of the 68-year-old polytechnic, Mr. Olu Ibirogba, who is currently on suspension, had accused them, especially the rector, of engaging in corrupt practices.

In a strongly-worded petition to President Muhammadu Buhari and his deputy, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the suspended bursar, on behalf of YABATECH 8, had alleged that several millions of naira had developed wings and flown out of the coffers of the hallowed academic community.

In the petition dated June 10, 2015, entitled ‘Large scale stealing and victimisation by YABATECH authorities: Appeal for intervention so that we are not silenced’, Ibirogba alleged that the rector’s leadership style in the last five years had been characterised by a series of breaches of the Federal Government extant regulations and laws.

According to Ibirogba, the polytechnic has lost no less than N2bn via corruption since the rector came on board in 2009.

Part of the petition read, “The Governing Council approved N5m monthly security vote to the Rector, Dr. Kudirat Ladipo, which is paid to her personal account each month directly.

This is besides the institution’s organic security staff (about 150 personnel), six outsourced security companies, as well as monthly payment of motivational allowances to the Sabo Police Station and DSS staff at Sabo.

“This N5m monthly security vote translates to N60m per annum. Payment of security vote to head of government parastatal is very strange and an indicator of abuse of office and executive fraud.

“Dr. Ladipo also collects about N5m annually for a two-week vacation abroad, including daily allowances of $600 for a trip which she never made.

This is another clear duplication, as all employees in the federal polytechnic, including her, are paid their leave allowances monthly.”

Ibirogba, who also accused the rector of divided loyalty, noted that she has a company, Spicy Nig. Limited, which she uses to execute several jobs in the institution; while she is also engaged in contract splitting as well as an arbitrary employment of workers.

Claiming that as the financial officer of the school, he was in a vantage position to identify these shortcomings, Ibirogba urged the President to use his good offices to investigate the allegations.

He added, “Our prayer is that your office causes an independent, incorruptible and open examination of transactions conducted under the watch of Dr. Kudirat Ladipo in the last five years, so that the issue of administrative and financial corruption, impunity and other vices are correctly addressed in line with the provisions of the extant rules.”

However, ‘tell that to the marines’ seems to be the reaction of the rector to these allegations.

Ladipo, who, alongside Babatope, addressed journalists last Tuesday, dismissed the accusations as a mere witch-hunt aimed at discrediting her achievements in the school.

According to the rector, the allegations are spurious as her leadership respects due process in all its dealings.

She added, “YABATECH, like some other institutions in Lagos, has security challenges. The security vote is for intelligence gathering and the Council of the school approved it. With over 20, 000 students and hundreds of workers, we need to protect them.

Besides, various government agencies, including the police, have investigated the allegations by the bursar and found them spurious.

“Even the Spicy Nig. Limited he mentioned in the petition, the owner had died long ago and there is nothing about the firm in our account books. Insofar as I am concerned, there is nothing like fraud in the school, as we respect due process.”

Babatope also said the claims by the suspended bursar was that of a sinking man.

The Governing Council Chairman noted that the allegation that the rector gave him N75m was a deliberate attempt to malign him.

Noting that the allegation was malicious and mischievous, the septuagenarian former Transport Minister wondered why he would suddenly become corrupt at his age.

Babatope said, “The allegation that the rector gave me N75m was baseless. What do I want to do with N75m? My law firm is going to take up the matter.

I am 72. I have served the country as a minister and in other capacities. No one born of woman can prove any allegation of corruption against me.

“I was trained by our great leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He taught me to be contented and avoid corruption.

“Again, I do not have any of my children working in the school. If there is anybody bearing my surname and working in this school, that could be a mere coincidence.

By the way, is there any law that forbids anybody bearing Babatope from working at YABATECH?

“The petitions circulated by Olugbenga Ibirogba are not new.

They have been in circulation since his suspension in 2013.

The Inspector-General of Police, Head of Service of the Federation, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and our Council have investigated them.

All of us independently came up with the same verdict: the petitions are frivolous, spurious, provoked by vendetta and fans the embers of parochialism.”

www.punchng.com/education/alleged-n5m-monthly-security-vote-tears-yabatech-apart/

axiliborha:

Are you really the person in ur dp ?

Move the culprits to yabaleft