The Rivers State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, wants the relevant government agencies in the education sector to put into motion measures that will checkmate the excesses of the staff of tertiary institutions in the state if fortunes being spent on these institutions must yield results.
The ACN made this observation in a statement issued and signed by its publicity secretary, Jerry Needam while reacting to reports of admission racketeering and extortion from students seeking entry into the Rivers State Polytechnic, Bori.
The statement regretted that the relevant authorities have continued to keep quiet or pretend not to be aware of the outcry of students of the polytechnic over the frustration they go through to be admitted into the institution and the offer of courses different from what they applied and paid for.
Jerry Needam, the ACN spokesman noted that the rot has continued to thrive because those involved in the corrupt practices have been indulging in it and getting away with it.
He therefore called for a full scale investigation into the allegation, with a view to ascertaining the true situation of things in Rivpoly, moreso, as this dismal development began since the appointment of a new leadership headed by Sir Obiako Nwolu-Elechi.
Rev Jerry Needam also took a swipe on the supervising ministry of education for not taking their oversight function seriously which he said, is the more reason why these corrupt officers of Rivpoly revel in the act while students and their parents are impoverished and frustrated.
“It’s illegal to collect unapproved monies from prospective students cashing in on their desperation, and wicked not to offer them the admission or offer them anything but their choice. All this is reportedly the order of the day in Rivpoly and must be investigated and the culprits fished out and punished”, Jerry Needam stated.
The ACN spokesman stressed that unless a hard measure is taken in this regard to sanitize the system in Rivpoly, the canker worm will spread to other sister institutions with low quality and ignorant graduates eventually produced as the resultant effect.
Signed
Jerry Needam, JP
Publicity Secretary
Action Congress of Nigeria
Rivers State.