₦airaland Forum

YABA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, STOP THIS IMPUNITY!
After about sixty years that Nigeria has gained independence from its colonial master, the British, one begins to wonder why the country still wallows in the pool of underdevelopment. The reason is not far-fetched, of course, as it is obviously manifest. No country can rise above the quality of its technocrats.
For a meaningful development, there has to be a massive and far-reaching rejigging of the educational system- the producer of the nation’s technocrats.
However, it is surprising that, though there seems to be a consensus for the general overhaul of the educational system across the country, there exist some unscrupulous individuals in the system- in universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, high schools, basic schools- who are hell-bent on holding the country to ransom for their selfish interest. Although, such have been in the system for so long, that one would think they should ordinarily have been purged out since, their voraciousness and tenacity to cling to power by all means leave one in a awe. Such set of discredited individuals, who have gone every length to sabotage the efforts of the government, especially the current anti-corruption government, can be found in Yaba College of Technology. They are the bunch of tainted individuals who, though ordinarily have no business (due to their flagrant abuse of due process, their intolerant views, and stark opposition to whistleblowing- an important tool to combat systemic and institutionalised corruption) at all in an intellectual environment regarded as first and still the best, call themselves the “Governing Council” of the institution. They display their brazen act of impunity recently when they again victimised a thoroughly bred professional, academia, and internationally reputable lecturer of accounting, who had passed through the same witch-hunting and intimidation journey before.
As the motto of his professional body, Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria, ICAN, reads, “Integrity and Accuracy”, his anti-corruption stance and non-compromisable integrity has often pitched him at different times against this “self-serving council.”
Eleven years ago, specifically, on June 10, 2010, he was wrongly sacked for kicking “against financial and administrative irregularities and non-adherence to due process in financial matters” by the same institution’s governing council as “his anti-corruption disposition and abounding commitment to integrity, honesty, transparency and due process brought him into constant conflict with the school authority over mismanagement and manifest embezzlement of funds and resources of the college.” After deceitfully persuading him to settle the matter out of court with an unrepentant intention (and mind) of continuing with their unlawful acts, believing fully well that no power, not even people in higher authority can question their actions, he was reinstated in 2016 with all his accrued entitlements paid, only at the intervention of the amiable Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who proves to be tougher for them to compromise.
However, the recent event pointed out that the current management is just like the proverbial “old wine in new bottle.” They have again exposed themselves to public ridicule after they unjustly sacked the man for demanding that the management should follow due process in the day to day running of the college. Mr. Joseph Babatunde Akeju was recently sacked, few days to his retirement on 20 March, 2018, for petitioning the Honourable Minister of Education to intervene in the manifest acts of illegality the management has entrenched himself in. Specifically, he demanded for a sacrosanct governing council where busybodies will have no space, reinstatement of the laid down procedure in the selection of college registrar, transparency, probity, and good public relations of the council, and the need to have substantive principal officers instead of acting ones who are handicapped by their limited powers and thus, undermining their independence, among others. I wonder what was outrageous in these demands when they are all for the good of the college.
For this reason, I hereby call upon well-meaning Nigerians, civil society organisations, human right activists and lawyers, to prevail upon the Management of Yaba College of Technology to reinstate Mr. Joseph Babatunde Akeju who is only guided by the ethics of his profession- integrity.
The members of the accounting profession- academia, practitioners, and particularly, members of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria- should not allow this injustice to be done with impunity. ICAN, the professional body whose ethics the man stands for, should intervene. They should not allow such humiliation to happen to their loyal member if truly their internal whistleblowing policy is still intact.
Above all, I call on the Honourble Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, to set up a high-power impartial committee to investigate this matter and not only ensure that justice is done, but also for justice to be seen to have been done. All culpable persons should be made to face the full wrath of the law. Being a stunt anti-corruption fighter himself as can be seen from all indications, I believe he is going to follow this matter to a logical conclusion; and that, quickly.