By Ismail Abu. 

As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu seems committed to making reforms in major sectors of the nation's structure ranging from Power, Security, Housing, Oil and Gas, finance and tax among others. An important area that should be focused on is tertiary education and it's administration because it is the hub for harnessing talent among young people who are the present  and future of our national assets. 

It is an open secret that most of the Vice Chancellors and Rectors administer the revered institutions as dictators  and emperors and in a corrupt manner milking its resources for their personal gains while the Institution whithers especially in previous administrations. 

In times past,  unacademic policies and maladministration in tertiary institutions have been excused on poor funding from government (meanwhile government has made huge releases to these institutions).

 This has encouraged universities, Polytechnics and colleges of Education administrators to turn themselves to demigods in there various Institutions. One begins to wonder why the Federal Ministry of Education has been overlooking the menace before now.

Instances of high handedness, financial misappropriation, maladministration, nepotism and excessive abuse of office have been overlooked by past administration, this was evident in the immediate past Administration. However, it is expected that, this Tinubu led administration especially the Minister of Education,Dr Tunji Alausa who is a no-nonsense administrator would be intentional about tertiary education reforms.

The UNIZIK Vice Chancellor's saga is an eye opener to the malaise in the Ivory Tower and the sack of Professor  Bernard Odoh has further soared the hope of education loving Nigerians in the Federal Government, in correcting the anomalies in our tertiary institutions, however the UNIZIK situation is a solitary one among so many others.

The government is expected to investigate many tertiary institutions considering the amount of government investment that are not commensurate to physical development on ground. despite  public submissions and petitions regards them.

The Federal Polytechnic Ayede which is one of the newly created Polytechnics have been in the spotlight since January 2024 with reports of embezzlement,  setting aside due process in Procurement laws, employment of unqualified lecturers, violations of federal characters principles in recruitment, multiple promotion on Transfer and Secondment against  the Public Service Rules and undue promotion, unfriendly staff welfare, gross maladministration and financial misappropriation  which have debarred the expected growth of the Polytechnic.

Information gathered reveals that the Polytechnic Rector has consistently been accused of favoritism and that promotion and Conference opportunities are often done to favor his allies, some of these persons have been given promotion twice in the space of two academic sessions while others have never been considered.

Staff who spoke under anonymity also submit that the Rector makes arbitrary appointments not considering due process especially in the appointment of Deputy Rectors among others, they however consider it unsafe to share dissenting views publicly as those who have so earlier lost some rights and privileges.

 There are high expectations that the Ministry of Education, under the leadership of Dr Tunji Alausa will conduct due diligence and processes to correct anomalies in the Polytechnic in the last two years as several reports about the school has been submitted.

In furtherance to the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, Renewed Hope Agenda in Education, will the Federal Government be politically intentional about tertiary education reforms? Time and events will sure avail us a scorecard.