The Governing Council of Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku, has announced that the alleged certificate racketeering in the institution is “under investigation”.

The Council disclosed this amidst a two-week warning strike embarked upon on Tuesday by the institution’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics.

In announcing the strike, ASUP Chairman, Dr Michael Ohana, said that the lingering issue of alleged result racketeering has brought the institution into disrepute and disrupted academic activities.

According to him, there is a serious cause for concern, as the yet-to-be-verified racketeering issue has permeated social media, bringing staff and the institution into public disrepute.

He said, “Our members are the worst hit. When we relate with the world outside, we are no longer able to proudly say we are staff of Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku.”

However, the Polytechnic’s Governing Council in a statement signed by its Chairman, Paul Adingwupu, copies of which were made available to journalists in Warri on Wednesday, faulted the decision of the ASUP on embarking on two-week warning strike, describing the decision as “calculated plan to shield and to frustrate ongoing investigations into allegations of certificate racketeering, recklessness and misappropriation of funds against some principal officers”.

The Governing Council alleged that the union’s leadership was “being sponsored by individuals opposed to transparency and accountability”.

The Council specifically accused the striking academic staff of “attempting to use industrial action as a tool to blackmail the government into abandoning due process”.

The Governing Council maintained that “the recent crisis rocking the institution was triggered by allegations of certificate, result racketeering, recklessness and misappropriation of funds involving some principal officers, including the Rector and the Registrar, which are currently being investigated by the Delta State House of Assembly after preliminary handling by the office of the Deputy Governor for the purpose of fairness and transparency”.

“This strike has nothing to do with staff welfare or working conditions. It is purely an attempt to shield certain individuals from accountability. It is wrong and it will not stand,” the statement emphasised.

The Council therefore called on the State Government and the general public to disregard what it termed a “misguided and politically motivated action” by the ASUP chapter, insisting that it remained committed to upholding due process and cleansing the institution of “unwholesome practices and financial recklessness.”

“We reaffirm our resolve to work for the greater good of the Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku. We will not be distracted by those who wish to frustrate reforms. Our duty is to protect the integrity of this institution, and that is exactly what we will continue to do,” the Council concluded.

The statement partly reads, “The Governing Council expresses surprise that ASUP, which should focus on issues of staff welfare, has chosen to involve itself in matters already under investigation and unrelated to the union’s core mandate.

“The Council sees the strike as an attempt to arm-twist the government into taking sides in a matter that is still under official scrutiny.

“It is unfortunate that the union has allowed itself to be used as a weapon by vested interests who are clearly afraid of the truth coming out. This strike is nothing but an attempt to blackmail the Governor into doing what is ethically and legally wrong”.

The Governing Council noted that “those suspended in connection with the allegations, including the Registrar, were not members of ASUP but belonged to other staff unions within the institution.”

The Council therefore questioned the rationale behind ASUP’s decision to embark on a strike over the suspension of officers who were not even its members.

“If the suspended officers belong to other unions, why is ASUP taking up their case? Why are the unions directly representing them not speaking? It simply confirms that the union has been hijacked to serve the interest of the management rather than that of workers,” the Council queried.

On the issue of the suspended Registrar, the Council stated that his recall was out of the question, noting that the matter was already before a court of competent jurisdiction.

“Instead of cooperating with the investigation to clear his name, the Registrar went to court to challenge his suspension. Since the matter is sub judice, there is no moral or legal basis for the union to demand his reinstatement. They should allow the court to decide,” the Council said. (The PUNCH)