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The ad-hoc committee of the Abia State House of Assembly investigating an alleged certificate racketeering by State Polytechnic, Aba, has rejected an appeal to gag the media over the investigation into the matter.
The investigation followed a petition by the a civil society organization, Coalition of Civil Society Groups in Abia State, CCSG to the Assembly to investigate if the Aba based businessman, Okafor Gregory Okwuchukwu, who was admitted into the institution during the 2018/2019 session, could have completed the duration in August 2020, including the compulsory 4 months industrial training for the Business Administration and Management course when the Covid 19 pandemic halted academic activities worldwide in 2020.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Chief Chinedum Orji, had set up an ad-hoc committee headed by Chief Chikwendu Kalu, as chairman, with Barr. Emeka Okoroafor , Chief Jerry Uzosike and Chief Uzodike Aaron , as members.
During a sitting of the Committee ,Chairman of the Governing Board of the Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, Chief John Nwangborogwu, had pleaded with the committee to gag the media as continued reports on the matter is not good for the image of the polytechnic which recently lost accreditation from NBTE due to nonpayment of 34 months arrears of salaries.
However, the committee chairman, Chief Chikwendu Kalu , who is a former speaker of the state Assembly, rejected the appeal , and insisted that his committee cannot stop the media from performing its duties which is guaranteed by the Nigeria by the constitution of
The Committee ordered the management of the polytechnic to produce the files, examination scripts and transcripts on the national diploma statement of result it awarded to Okafor Gregory Okwuchukwu, in the Department of Business Administration and Management, in August 2020.
Kalu assured that the committee would be fair to all parties and urged the Registrar of the polytechnic to submit all documents relevant to the statement of result to the committee before the next sitting.
The committee insisted that the polytechnic must produce the staff that examined Okafor’s file and reconciled the results of the examinations he took in the course, including the approval of the academic board.
“You are to submit the file of the student, produce the staff who reconciled his examination results and the approval of the academic board. We will be fair to all parties. The Polytechnic and the Coalition of Civil society groups have nothing to fear,” the Committee assured.
Earlier, a member of the coalition of civil society groups, Mr. Eze Onuoha, had asked the ad-hoc committee to look into the contradictions on the diploma statement of result and attestation letter which were both issued on November 30, 2021, with the letter headed papers of the retired Registrar of the polytechnic, Mrs Comfort Nwabughiogu and her successor, Mr. Chinyere Oriaku, when the former had retired from the polytechnic on October 15, 2021.
He also reminded the committee that Mr. Oriaku had signed documents as the Registrar of the polytechnic on October 5, 2021, when the retired Registrar, Mrs Nwabughiogu was still the Registrar, having retired from the polytechnic on October 15, 2021.Mr. Oriaku admitted he was appointed Registrar on October 17,2021., but had to sign as Registrar on October 5,2021, because the Governing Council directed him to do so.
The Chairman of the Governing council, Rector and Registrar of the polytechnic; Chief John Nwangborogwu, Prof. Okorie Osonwa and Mr. Chinyere Oriaku, respectively, explained that the polytechnic followed due processes in the award of the national diploma. Nwangborogwu said it is the tradition of the polytechnic to use letter headed papers of retired Registrars until a new letter headed paper is produced for the current Registrar. This was, however, rejected by the committee who insisted that the letter head of a retired Registrar cannot be used for any official document.
Former Registrar of the Polytechnic, Mrs Comfort Nwabughiogu, also denied that she signed the diploma statement of result on November 30, 2021, when she had retired from the institution on 15th October, 2021.
The committee had earlier dismissed reports that the matter is in court because there was no evidence to prove the claim.