Group Accuses Rector Of Mismanaging Imo Polytechnic

A civil society group, Transparency in Tertiary Institutions’ League (TRANSTIL), has called on Governor Hope Uzodinma to intervene urgently at the Imo State Polytechnic, alleging that the institution is on the verge of collapse under its current rector, Prof. Kanayo Chukwuka.

In a press statement made available to our reporter in Owerri, TRANSTIL leader, Barr. Bathlomew Kanu, accused the rector of running the polytechnic as a private business and warned that without immediate intervention, the institution could be grounded.

Kanu said the polytechnic had maintained acceptable academic standards under previous rectors – Prof. Anderson Amadioha, the late Dr Eugene Ogu, Very Rev. Fr. Wence Madu and Sir John Mbadike – but that those gains had been reversed under the current administration.

He cited several allegations: Mismanagement of a N330 million accreditation fund for the 2025 NBTE exercise, with over 80% of equipment borrowed rather than purchased; forcing staff members who transferred to another state-owned institution to refund salaries, while funnelling the repaid funds into a polytechnic account controlled by the rector and the acting bursar, rather than the government’s Single Treasury Account (TSA); demanding kickbacks from staff seeking TETFund grants, in collaboration with the Acting Bursar, Mr. Jerry Izuka; and an authoritarian management style, with no regard for staff input during official meetings.

Kanu also noted a sharp decline in student enrollment, from over 5,000 to around 1,000, with some departments currently having no ND1 students.

A staff member who craves anonymity corroborated the group’s concerns, stating that the rector’s failures had stifled staff morale and academic growth.

TRANSTIL appealed to Governor Uzodinma to set up an administrative panel of inquiry to investigate Prof. Chukwuka’s performance and compare the current state of the polytechnic with its condition before his appointment.

When contacted, the Rector of Imo State Polytechnic, Prof. Chukwuka, stressed that steps are being taken to resolve the issues. “We have a mechanism in place to resolve the challenges, and we are working tirelessly to achieve this objective.”