Nasarawa state House of Assembly on Tuesday, began investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the students’ protest at the Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic ( IMAP) Lafia.
Recalled that on March 11, 2021 students of the institution violently protested over alleged closure of school fees portal and increment in school fees by the school management leading to destruction of properties.
Chairman, House Commitee on Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Daniel Oga Ogazi, made this known when officials of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics ( ASUP), management staff and NASU appeared before the first sitting of the committee taking place at the polytechnic in Lafia Tuesday.
Oga Ogazi( APC- Kokona East) said that the committee decided to invite them in order to get first hand information that will assist the committee in carrying out its investigation.
“Mr Speaker, Rt.Hon Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi has mandated us to investigate the matter as we are going to report back the outcome of our investigation to the House.
“We want to get first hand information from you which will help the committee to do a thorough job.
“We want to assure that any person or group of pereons found wanting at the end of the day no matter how high place they are, they will be dealt with decisively.
“By God’s grace, our resolution will be implemented by the governor to serve as deterrent to others and for the overall development of the education sector.
Oga Ogazi described the students unrest which led to the destruction of properties in the institution as unfortunate and uncalled for.
He urged the ASUP to continue to be up and doing in ensuring the development of the institution.
The chairman called for team work among staff of the institution by supporting the new management to succeed.
Mr Slyvester Aku, the ASUP Chairman while presenting the position of the body to the committee called for punitive measures against perpetrators in order to serve as detterent to others.
“The allegation that the management has closed school fees portal and increased school fees were false, this is not true as registration was going on when we heard and saw students protesting, ” he said.
Aku also commended Gov Abdullahi Sule for appointing the management team of the institution, who are members of the institution.
“This is the first time that we have substantive rector from the institution, we thank the governor for appointing the management team within the institution, ” he said.
Also appearing before the committee was the management of the Polytechnic led by the Rector, Dr Justina Kotso.
Kotso while presenting the management’s report before the committee dismissed allegations that the school management closed school fees portal and increased school fees.
“We did not closed the school fees portal and increased school fees,” she said.
She has told the committee that the management has deployed new portal for students school fees registration in order to block linkages.
“When I came on board, the management met analogue method of school fees payment and we sat down to deployed a new portal for school fees registration in order to block linkages,” she said.
The rector said that some Alumni officials were threatening the management of the institution as well as incitng the public against the management of the institution.
“They have being telling me that I have block linkages/ stopped them from getting money.
“Some of the Alumni officials have also being threatening us and we inciting the public against the management of the institution through their write up (posting) in the social media.
“We will submit the report to you for your action,” she said.
Also appearing before the committee is the officials of the Non Academic Staff Union ( NASU) of the institution led by its Chairman, Mr Danlami Yaro who told the committee that he saw students protesting while condemning the act in its totality.
He said that the union is happy with the new management and its new policy especially the portal for students school fees payment.
