The Governing Council of the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas (FPOG), Bonny in Rivers State, says it is poised to restore sanity to the beleaguered institution and has set in motion the mechanisms to correct anomalies in its administrative processes.
Chairman of the FPOG Governing Council, Dayo Adebayo said this at the school campus while handing over some recovered vehicles to the acting Rector of the Polytechnic, Ibifiri Pollyn.
Adebayo expressed sadness over attempts by the recently suspended Rector of the Polytechnic, Professor Tamunoimim Abbey to prevent a team sent to recover the institution’s vehicles in his possession from carrying out their legitimate duties, disclosing that Prof Abbey even mobilized his neighbours at his residence in Port Harcourt to fight the team.
“When we came here in May, our first observation was that there were only two vehicles on ground being used by management staff.”
“Upon enquiries as to what happened to the other vehicles being used by the former management staff, they said they were recovered but they were all in Port Harcourt. Why are they in Port Harcourt when the management staff don’t have any vehicles to use?”
He said initial attempts at recovering the vehicles were rebuffed by the suspended Rector, thus leading the Council involving the Police, who were able to secure a warrant, which enabled them recover the three vehicles and convey them to Bonny.
“So, we decided that these vehicles be returned; that we’ve been doing, meeting brick wall every time.”
“Eventually, we had to involve the Police, and the first day they went to recover these vehicles from Prof Abbey’s house, they were refused entry. In fact, he (Prof Abbey) called the neighbourhood to come and fight those that went to recover the vehicles.”
“They had to go back to the Police to obtain a warrant to retrieve these vehicles; in fact, there are still two other vehicles that he has refused to release.”
He announced that the three vehicles have now been handed over to the acting Registrar, expressing the hope that they would be judiciously utilized to optimize the administrative functions of the institution with a view to taking the Polytechnic to the next level.
“By the grace of God, we have recovered three and I hope that Registrar and the acting Rector will be able to allocate these vehicles to the relevant management staff.”
