Polytechnic Rectors Deny Alleged Coercion To Bribe Reps Panel

Rectors of federal polytechnics have refuted alleged soliciting of bribe by House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating job racketeering and mismanagement of the Integrated Personnel Payment Information System (IPPIS) by government ministries, departments and agencies.

There had been reports that some members of the committee asked federal universities vice chancellors of and heads of tertiary institutions to pay certain amounts of money as bribes into a bank account to give them an easy sail.

Chairman of the rectors forum Engr Yahaya Mohammed, said the forum had at no time interfaced with any member of the Committee and also denied being given any account number to allegedly pay bribes.

Mohammed, who is the rector of Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, said this when chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi asked him to respond to the allegations of bribery and extortion levied against his members.

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The Rector said, “This is our first time of interfacing with the committee. All of us came into Abuja yesterday. Chairman, we are not in receipt of any account number or account name by any member of this committee.

“I will say under oath that we have not received any account number from any member of this committee.”

In his response, Gagdi said he has written to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the account number allegedly released to heads of tertiary institutions for the payments of bribes as reported.

He said: “I have already written to the ICPC to investigate that account number that was published; the owner of that account and whether there is any transaction by vice chancellors, rectors of polytechnics and leaders of tertiary institutions in the country.”

He also threatened to take legal action against the online newspaper over the publication which he said was to “blackmail and discredit” the Committee.