Students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, on Monday staged a protest against the institution’s management, accusing the rector of maltreatment and denying them the right to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.
The aggrieved students alleged that they have been barred from NYSC mobilisation because the school failed to comply with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) requirements.
According to them, JAMB had requested the exact number of part-time students in the institution, with some already tagged as “illegal students,” but the rector allegedly refused to provide the details.
One of the students, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the rector’s refusal to cooperate with JAMB directives has put their academic and career prospects at risk.
The protesters described the situation as unjust, noting that while many of them remain stranded and unable to proceed for NYSC service, the school has continued to recruit new staff, making NYSC discharge certificates a compulsory requirement for employment.
“It is an irony,” one of the students lamented. “We cannot go for NYSC because the school management has failed to meet JAMB’s requirements. Yet, they are employing new staff and demanding NYSC certificates for every vacancy.”
The students said their details ought to have been forwarded to JAMB for clearance to participate in the NYSC programme but the management has failed to act. They vowed to continue pressing for accountability until the institution resolves the matter and ensures their mobilisation.
