Sodiq Ojuroungbe and Abdulsalam Hassan
Following the faceoff between Ogun State government and members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, MAPOLY Chapter over the conversion of the Polytechnic to Moshood University of Science and Technology, Abeokuta, and establishment of Ogun State Polytechnic, Ipokia, the ASUP Chairman, Comrade Kola Abiola has disclosed that the institution is not starting exam soon, adding that lectures continue.
This response from the Union Chairman came after staff of the institution shunned the proposed second semester exams billed to start yesterday.
Abiola, who was later monitored on a television programme insisted that the lecturers of the institution had become endangered species over the conversion.
The Chairman said that while the government did not include any members of the union in the technical committee, the union was also not consulted by the same committee.
He explained that while the new University has been recognised by the National University Commission, NUT, the staffs are yet to know the status of the new Polytechnic.
He said, “”We are not on strike, but exam is not starting, lectures still continue. Lecturers have become an endangered species over this conversion.
“If you look at the website of NUC, you will see Moshood Abiola University of Technology that has been recognised, what’s is the status of Ogun State Polytechnic with National Board for Technical Education?.
“This is a question we are constantly asking Ogun State government and the technical committee. If I am going to Ipokia and accreditation has not been gotten for Ipokia, what happens to my fate?
“The Governor of Ogun State has said they are in agreement with NBTE and to our own understanding, we don’t know when NBTE goes into an agreement with anybody because there’s a standard for accreditation.
“We are not saying we all want to work in the University. The university has been recognised but no course has been accredited but the Polytechnic has not been accredited by NBTE, the Polytechnic has no accredited course. As government, do you want to bring in students for courses that have not been accredited?
Abiola explained that three different letters had been written to the state Commissioner of Education, Modupe Mujota while another one was written to the Governor through her office.
He added that none of the letters, including one which was published on a daily newspaper, was acknowledged by the government.
The Students Representative Council, SRC however implored, all concerned authorities to resolve all the conflicts as regards the commencement of the second semester examination within 72hours.
In a released sent to PRESS CLUB, the students’ representative also appealed, to students to be law abiding at this critical time, adding that they should desist from unnecessary write ups or hate speeches that could incite them.