The Kwara State Government has urged the Heads of State-owned tertiary institutions to key into the change mantra of the administration of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, by shunning all forms of corrupt practices.
The Honorable Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Hajiya Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu, gave the order today, when she met heads of state-owned tertiary institutions, at the conference room of the Ministry in Ilorin, State Capital.
The Commissioner warned that the tertiary institutions are not business ventures.
She reminded the heads that MOTEST is not to be involved, and would not be involved in the day-to-day running of the instituitions, but is the parent ministry assigned to play supervisory role; checkmate or to ensure check and balance for government policies, and for the vision of the visitor (Governor) to be strictly adhered to, in the interest of the state.
She said, it will not be business as usual, and the heads and other principal officers, must embrace probity, accountability and transparency in their deals.
She also emphasized that they should be just and ensure fairness, in their selection of officers to key positions and promotion.
She added that,
“I must also inform you that as a government, the present administration has discovered with sadness and serious disappointment, recent revelations coming out from our tertiary institutions, from the report of visitation panels constituted, and especially, that of the committee set up by the honourable commissioner a month ago, to investigate the alleged misappropriation and corruption in Kwara Polytechnic.
The committee that was headed by the permanent secretary, Hajiya Hafsat AbdulRahman revealed that numerous cases of abuse of office, impunity and misappropriation of funds took place, under the watch of, or better still, perpetuated by the same people saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the day-to-day activities, of the institution.
The committee chairman also disclosed that the leadership of Kwara Polytechnic took decisions without the input and knowledge of the ministry, especially the issue of the Polytechnic portal.
The Honorable commissioner in her remarks declared that she was not a party to the shaddy deal,and that the decision to pay the new company, was concealed from the ministry and her representative in the council, until it became public knowledge, and that for an institution that is not subvented, it was definitely not in the Interest of the state to have paid the new portal company much more, for doing half of the job since the old company started the registration for the students.
Hajiya Kawu reminded the Directors, who would be representing her in the council to always have the interest of the state at heart, and see themselves as the ‘eye of the government’
She acknowledged that there are saboteurs, who are used to the rot of the past.
She informed the gathering that every kobo taken illegally, must be returned to the government and the officers concerned made to face the consequences.”
She concluded by saying that ” You must not see yourself as an end, but the means to achieving an end; so operate an open door policy in your institutions; discharge the function of your offices with utmost sense of responsibility, devoid of ethnic, religious and other parochial sentiments, as Kwara state belongs to all of us.