Illegal Fees: Imo Poly Threatens To Sack Staff

The authorities of the Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo, has threatened to sack any of its staff members collecting illegal fees from the students.

The Rector of the institution, Rev. Fr. Wence Madu, made the threat at an interactive session with journalists in Owerri last Tuesday.

Madu said the school authorities had privileged information that some unidentified staff members had been collecting bribes and issuing certificates without authorisation.

He said that the institution had expelled no fewer than 300 students for certificate forgery and other related offenses that bothered on non-payment of fees.

The rector said that rather than pay their fees, the students resorted to bribing corrupt school officials so they could collect their certificates to be able to go for the National Youth Service Corps scheme.

He said the fake receipts issued such students did not bear the logo of the polytechnic.

He said that such fees were owed before the introduction of free education in the state by the Rochas Okorocha administration.

He noted that the polytechnic had continued with the free education policy for all students irrespective of their states of origin.

Madu urged critics of the free education to desist from such subjective criticism, saying that the policy was running well.

“People should stop digging for evidence of illegal collection of fees in order to discredit the free education of the state governor;

“Gov. Okorocha was not compelled to declare free education in the state and as such should be supported and not discredited at every turn,” he said.

He also urged journalists to help the polytechnic to maintain its good image by verifying facts from its public relations office before publishing.