YABATECH, Nigerian’s oldest Tertiary Institution Fails to Produce Rector After petitions

YABATECH, Nigerian’s oldest Tertiary Institution Fails to Produce Rector After petitions, the YABATECH situation is like the case of the Federal Polytechnic Offa, whose exercise was completed in 2022 but petitions trailed the appointment exercise.

The nation’s oldest tertiary institution, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos, has joined the ranks of Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara State, whose appointment exercise for a new rector has been stalled due to petitions.

Three months after the Governing Council completed the appointment process, the institution is still without a helmsman, an indication that the Federal Government may not be happy with the selection process.

The YABATECH situation is like the case of the Federal Polytechnic Offa, whose exercise was completed in 2022 but petitions trailed the appointment exercise. Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, rejected the exercise that produced the number one candidate approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Since 2021, Offa Polytechnic has been without a substantive rector. The governing council has twice appointed an acting rector for the institution and it seems YABATECH is heading in that direction.

For staff and students of Yaba College of Technology, the waiting game for the presidential approval of a new rector for the 70-year-old institution continues.

The Prince Lateef Fagbemi-led governing council had over three months ago recommended three names to President Buhari to pick one as the helmsman.

Investigations by The Education Report revealed that the exercise, like what happened in 2022 at Federal Polytechnic, Offa, has been stalled due to petitions.

The stalled selection exercise has divided the institution along the religious lines of Muslims and Christians.

The Muslim community in the college insists the next rector must be a Muslim. The group claimed that, since the inception of YABATECH, no Muslim has superintended over the 70-year-old institution.

The Christian staff insist the appointment of a rector should be based on merit and not on religious affiliation.

The investigations revealed that there were insinuations that the stalled selection exercise for a helmsman was tailored to produce a candidate from a particular religion.

The Education Report gathered that, after the governing council submitted the names of three candidates to President Buhari through the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, many petitions were sent against one or two candidates about the entire exercise.    

In his reactions, the Deputy Registrar/Head of Public Relations, Mr. Joe Ejiofor, said there were processes for the appointment of a reactor and observed that the governing council has concluded the exercise and made recommendations to the government.

Ejiofor told The Education Report that governing council has not received any response from the Federal Government in that regard.

“I am also not aware of any partition trailing the process or exercise,’’ Ejiofor stated.

About 30 applicants indicated interest to occupy the position of rector of YABATECH in January 2023.

At the end of the deadline for the submission of applications, two professors, 21 chief lecturers from various polytechnics and eight other senior lecturers from universities applied for the plum job.

Out of the 30 applicants, 13 were from YABATECH, nine chief lecturers from other polytechnics and nine are from universities.

In November 2022, the council forwarded three names to President Muhammadu Buhari to pick one as the rector of the institution in 2023. The three names submitted are chief lecturers from YABATECH and unlike the university; Buhari can pick any of the names as the new helmsman of the college.

At the end of the interview which lasted for two days, Dr. I.A. Abdul of the Department of Mechanical Engineering came in first, followed by Dr. Lauretta Ofodile- of the Department of Bio-Science, and Dr. Okesoto Oyebamiji- of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning placed third.