Delta Poly Rector In Financial Scandal, Bought Three Luxury Cars Worth N85m For Self

Prof. Job Akpodiete, the Rector of the Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, Isoko North local government area of the state is currently enmeshed in a financial scandal running into several millions of naira.

BigPen Online learnt that the Rector is allegedly being accused of misappropriating millions of naira from the institution’s treasury through reckless award of contracts, buying of official vehicles, among others.

A document sighted by one of our correspondent alleged the institution’s rector had connived with other officials to misappropriate over N200 million through some phony contracts that were purportedly awarded without following due process.

The document revealed that the rector, in 2017 used over N13 million in buying of cows, bags of rice, rams and other items which he used as gifts for friends and cronies during the Christmas celebrations.

It was gathered that besides spending N85million naira to purchase three luxury cars for himself, the Rector allegedly expended another N60 million for the clearing of the institution’s site, moulding of blocks, excavation for the contraction of the institution’s guest house, in addition to N200million (N200,000,000.00) fraudulently disbursed through one Mr. H. I. Akumune, a staff of the polytechnic believed to be his front.

Multiple sources in the institution including senior management staff who confided in our correspondents disclosed; “This rector, Prof. Revd Job Akpodiete only came to liquidate Delta state polytechnic. I have never in my entire life seen a rector, a Revd, man of God as he claimed, who is as corrupt as this man. Do you know the rector, Prof Akpodiete, bought a Camry car for N35 million, a Corolla car for N21.5 million, another Corolla for N18.9 million and a hilux for N18.5 million as he assumed office. This man is corrupt.”

The Rector, the sources claimed has been running the school as a family estate, where he unilaterally gives appointments to his family members and kinsmen with unmerited fat salaries to the detriment of other ethnic nationalities in the state.

The source also claimed the institution helmsman had reduced the salaries of part time staff from N60,000.00 but fraudulently increased his sitting allowance from N70,000 to  N165,000.

Meanwhile, an anti-corruption group, Isoko Monitoring Group, (IMG), has petitioned Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, to as a matter of urgency, investigate the alleged corrupt and other fraudulent practices perpetrated by the rector and his cohorts.

The petition which was obtained by BigPen Online on Saturday called for the immediate sack of the rector and other officials involved in the scandal to serve as a deterrent to others.

The petition which was entitled, “Demand For The Immediate Removal Of Prof. Job Akpodiete, Rector Of Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro And Investigation Of Financial Impropriety”, signed by the group’s President, Mr. Sebastine Agbefe, gave a graphic details of the alleged corrupt practices by the rector and other officials of the institution.

The petition read in part; “Our attention has been drawn to the multiple cases of suspected fraud and financial indiscipline against extant laws by the Rector of the Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro and we hereby formally drawn your attention to the same. Staff of the school who for obvious reasons do not want their identity known alleges as follows:

“That the Rector without due process and advertisement of a job of that magnitude as required under the Delta State Procurement Law awarded the construction of a guest house at an unknown cost and has disbursed over N90,000,000.00 (Ninety million naira) only to one Engr. H. I. Akumune suspected to be fronting for him.

“That the Rector with a reckless abandon embarked and bought vehicles at a whooping sum of N85,000,000.00 (eighty five million naira) at an inflated rate, in the face so-called lack of fund that has practically crippled the activities of the school while staff sometimes remain unpaid for several months.

“That the Rector has been involved in the recruitment of both academic and non-academic staff without recourse to the extant laws of Delta and more so this employment tainted with ethnic coloration. The Rector and the management of the school are heavily involved in contract racketeering and kick-backs running into hundreds of millions of naira.

“That the staff of the school of Isoko extraction are grossly marginalized and subjected to daily intimidation, something that we find unacceptable.

“These activities of the Rector, if unchecked threatens the existence of the institution as it has been reported that several departments of the school have failed or don’t have the requisite accreditations from professional academic bodies and the non-accreditation and withdrawal of accreditation has been linked to the lack of funds.

“We hereby demand for the immediate removal of the said Prof. Akpodiete while urging your government to investigate the finances of the school under Prof. Akpodiete and to take appropriate action.” the petitioners added.

But when contacted, the rector of the institution, Prof. Akpodiete, denied the allegations, saying all approvals and release of funds were consented to by the institution’s governing council.

Story by Julius Eras-Olabowu