The management of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, has denied allegations that it laid off some staff for political reasons.
Instead, the institution’s management attributed the disengagement of the affected staff to the ongoing reforms and restructuring.
A pro-democracy group, The People’s Voice Advocacy Network (PVAN), condemned on Monday the dismissal of seven polytechnic staff members for what it called “alleged affiliation (of the affected staff) with an opposition political party.”
In a statement issued by its publicity secretary, Yusuf Obe, the group described the sacking of the affected individuals as politically motivated and called for their immediate reinstatement.
“Our findings revealed that six of the dismissed workers are from Ilorin, Kwara central, while the other person hails from Kwara south, and no concrete reason was given for their sacking other than ‘their service is no longer needed,” the group claimed.
However, in a statement on Tuesday, the polytechnic’s management, signed by the institution’s public relations officer, Halima Garba, denied any political motive behind the disengagement of the affected staff.
The management reads, in part: “The attention of the Kwara State Polytechnic’s authority has been drawn to some unfair social media posts imputing political colouration in the ongoing reforms and rightsizing to align resources with the school’s current realities.
“The polytechnic management wishes to clarify that this exercise does not target anyone. It is purely an internal review and cost-saving measure that involved the movement of some old hands and, inevitably, the rightsizing of a few new hands whose employments were still probationary.
“It was not a decision taken in haste or without due consideration. So, we would like to appeal that such exercise should not be politicised.
The polytechnic is undergoing a significant restructuring, including increased use of technology to improve efficiency, reduce cost, and enhance service delivery in line with global best practices.
“It serves no sustainable public good when reforms and internal decisions in a public institution like the Kwara State Polytechnic are given political interpretations for whatever ends.
“Nobody was hired based on their political affiliation, and the restructuring is blind to any cleavage, contrary to the insinuations in certain quarters.”
