Kogiflame
The Rector of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, Prof. Salisu Ogbo, has said that his administration inherited an institution where cultists reigned supreme and operated as demi-gods on campus.
Prof. Ogbo stated this Tuesday in Lokoja during a press briefing marking the end of his first tenure in office as Rector of the institution.
He disclosed that before his administration came on board, cultists operated with impunity on campus and in the surrounding neighborhood.
According to him, this and many other threatening social vices caused the Polytechnic to battle deeply disturbing image issues, including negative press.
“There was a place on this campus called Pipe Line. It was usually a hub where cultism thrived. We have also banned end-of-semester celebrations. I recall an incident at Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, in 2014, where a young man recklessly drove while celebrating the end of semester examinations, leading to the amputation of a young girl’s leg from the Sociology Department. Cultists often use such periods to strike and cause chaos on campus.
“There was also an instance of a boy who was apprehended with a gun while coming to write his final examination. Between May 2020 and January 2025, we have successfully averted 170 security threats through an intelligent security network in the Polytechnic.
“Before our administration, some individuals would go to nearby cybercafés to print fake statements of result. We also discovered some bad eggs in the system running National Diploma and Higher National Diploma programs concurrently. This is the height of criminality in our educational system.”
He further stated that his administration banned the sale of textbooks on campus, adding that some lecturers were forcing students to buy their materials as a prerequisite to passing examinations.
His words, “Some lecturers were making the sale of textbooks compulsory for our students. I have copies of petitions sent to the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) against the extortion of students by some lecturers under the guise of selling textbooks.
“When you make the purchase of textbooks a precondition for students to pass examinations, it discourages them from reading. This can lead to insecurity and tribal conflicts in the school. We have been able to sanitize the system by eradicating this practice on campus.”
Prof. Ogbo was appointed as the substantive Rector of Kogi State Polytechnic on February 12, 2021, by the administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello. He was reappointed in June 2024 by Kogi State Governor Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, with the new term taking effect from February 12, 2025.
