The management of Novelty Polytechnic, located in Kishi, Ibadan, Oyo, has vehemently distanced itself from several satellite campuses alleged to have been illicitly established in multiple states across Nigeria.
These allegedly fraudulent outreaches were purportedly set up by an impostor who used the institution’s name to deceive unsuspecting Nigerians.
The polytechnic management has issued a stern warning to the public, advising Nigerians to steer clear of these supposed illegal campuses.
In an urgent call to action, they have urged the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to promptly shut down these unlawful extensions, which are reported to have sprung up in Ibadan, Lagos, Niger, and Abuja.
This shocking revelation came to light during a press briefing held in Abuja over the weekend.
The former National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Prince Lanre Ogundipe, took the podium alongside Abdul Ganiyu Salami, the wife of the Polytechnic’s proprietor, and Dele Fanimo, who all have vested interests in the institution.
Novelty Polytechnic, established just three years ago, was envisioned by Abdul Ganiyu Salami. It commenced its journey with 83 students and has now grown to accommodate approximately 400 students at the National Diploma level.
Prince Lanre Ogundipe emphasised that Novelty Polytechnic was founded with the noble aim of producing a new generation of Nigerians who are well-equipped with technical skills, ready to contribute significantly to the nation’s development.
He reassured the public, “As a young institution, Novelty Polytechnic will never engage in actions that contravene regulations or compromise the standards set by the regulatory body, NBTE, responsible for overseeing technical education in Nigeria.”
However, a shocking revelation came to light as Ogundipe disclosed that an individual, initially hired as a canvasser with the sole purpose of recruiting students, cunningly transformed himself into the Managing Director of the institution without the owner’s knowledge.
He went on to establish unauthorized satellite campuses in Ibadan, Lagos, Niger, and Abuja, funneling the proceeds into his personal accounts.
Upon the discovery of these illicit activities, the school authorities took swift action, involving the police in December 2022. The brains behind it was charged with embezzlement of over N50 million but was later released on bail by the court.
Ogundipe stated, “From then he began the shenanigans and campaign in the media against the school. We did not want to join issues with him because we felt that by the time we started with him, they would now be saying it’s because those people are media men. But we want to prove to the larger public that we had good intentions of having him as a partner to work with us on this project, but he had ulterior motives to defraud the school and smear the image of the school and the Proprietor.”
In an effort to seek justice, the school conducted an audit of its accounts over a span of approximately eight months, revealing that the individual had embezzled over N50 million, leading to his immediate dismissal.
Subsequently, the school wrote to NBTE, the regulatory body, to alert them of the situation and request the closure of the illegal satellite campuses. The Proprietor personally penned a letter in January, but regrettably, NBTE did not respond to any of these correspondences.
Moreover, the individual, after being released on bail, engaged an NGO called the “Initiative for Citizens Rights” to launch a campaign against the school.
This alarming situation prompted the Proprietor, Abdul Ganiyu Salami, to address a letter to the executive secretary of the National Board for Technical Education on April 28, 2023, titled “Request for Urgent Closure of Illegal Satellite Campuses of Novelty Polytechnic, Kishi, being Operated by Fraudsters.”
In the letter, Salami expressed frustration, stating, “We have found out that he deliberately used my electronic signature in his custody and implanted the same on the letters.”
“He also forged my signature, giving approval to several educational institutions which initially requested to canvass and populate Novelty on commission. They used this avenue to establish campuses of Novelty Poly. Novelty never applied to NBTE for Satellite campuses outside of Kishi nor does she have any approval to run any, hence we quickly did a public disclaimer on discovering the illegality.”
Prince Lanre Ogundipe concluded that the petitions against the school are a calculated attempt to tarnish the institution’s reputation.
The Novelty Polytechnic management remains committed to upholding its standards and protecting its students from fraudulent activities while seeking justice against the impostor responsible for this damaging deception.
In view of all the alligations levied agant the dubious facilitator behind all this trouble. My own submission to the school management is to take a stringent action on him to forstal further occurrence by others.