The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) at the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, has raised serious concerns over what it described as an “accreditation fraud” involving more than N500 million.
In a statement issued on Monday, ASUP Chairman Dr. Idowu Atilola alleged that a memo from the institution’s Director of Academic Planning, Dr. Waheed Oyelola Balogun, requested a staggering N507,945,395 for the accreditation of 21 academic departments.
Dr. Atilola noted that the figures outlined in the proposal were “outrageous” and “unbelievable,” emphasizing that similar accreditation for 33 departments during the 2023/2024 session reportedly cost only N50 million.
According to him, under the new proposal:
Each Head of Department (HOD) is allocated just N100,000.
Deans, who serve as supervisors, are set to receive N200,000 each.
Both HODs and deans would share a total of N7.2 million from the over N500 million budget.
The union also alleged that N50 million was earmarked for “Management,” and N20 million for the Governing Council.
Atilola further disclosed that a separate memo from the Rector, Dr. Kamoru Kadiri, to the Governing Council also sought approval for the same amount proposed by the academic planning director. He described the documents as a coordinated effort by both officials to “siphon funds” from the institution’s coffers.
“These memos represent a clear conspiracy by the rector and the director to divert public funds with impunity,” he said.
ASUP is demanding transparency and accountability from the institution’s leadership and vowed to continue challenging any perceived financial misconduct.
In a related development, the union also rejected a request made by the Rector seeking the Governing Council’s approval for entitlement packages for outgoing principal officers, describing it as unlawful.
The union referenced a Federal Ministry of Education circular dated December 31, 2024, which removed such entitlement approvals from the purview of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). This directive was reportedly reinforced by another circular from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) on January 15, 2025.
ASUP said the Rector’s request violated both circulars and questioned the leadership style currently guiding the polytechnic.
“It is clear that the current administration is more focused on self-interest than on staff welfare or institutional progress,” the statement read.
The union warned the Governing Council against endorsing illegal actions and reiterated its commitment to promoting transparency, staff welfare, and the development of the institution.
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