The Management of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja is compelled to make this official statement to clarify certain fabricated and misleading information authored and circulated by one Abddulaziz Yusuf Okadigbo, claiming to have been arrested because of a purported congratulatory message to a new appointee and his overall support for the Government of His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, the Executive Governor of Kogi State
For the record, the said Abdulaziz Yusuf Okadigbo has, in connivance with a member of staff in the School of Environmental Technology of the Polytechnic, been illegally and fraudulently using the name, identity and logo of the institution to solicit and obtain fund from international organisations, government agencies and other organisations within and outside Nigeria without authorisation.
In clear terms, we are in possession of documents that the said individual and his cohort have used under a fake Centre dubbed “Environmental Resource Information Centre (ERIC)” and misrepresented as Centre of Kogi State Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja as a Centre to request for fund from some Federal and State Government agencies, Dangote Cement Company, and some corporate bodies in China, USA, Kenya and Sweden amongst others.
We wish to categorically state that the said Abdulaziz Yusuf Okadigbo is not a representative, agent, or affiliate of the Polytechnic, and at no time was he authorised to act on behalf of the institution or use its insignia for any official or unofficial engagement.
The Law establishing the Polytechnic confers such authorisation on the Governing Council, and at no time did the Council or any authority acting on its behalf grant such approval to the so called Environmental Resource Information Centre (ERIC) to operate in the Polytechnic or in its name.
The action therefore, constitutes a serious breach of institutional integrity, criminal impersonation, and a violation of public trust, all of which are being addressed by the relevant law enforcement authorities following the arrest of the individual concerned.
His cohort in the Polytechnic is being investigated for proper internal administrative procedure and further legal action as necessary.
We urge the general public, corporate organisations, and government agencies to disregard any past or future requests for financial or institutional support made by this individual or his cohort in the name of or under the official logo and insignia of Kogi State Polytechnic. Any such correspondence or engagement is null, void, illegal and of no consequence on the Polytechnic authority.
Furthermore, we caution against any attempt by individuals or groups to politicise or misrepresent the circumstances of his arrest or to blackmail the institution or its officials in a bid to subvert justice.
The law should be allowed to take its full course without interference, intimidation or emotional manipulation and blackmail.
The institution remains committed to upholding the highest standards of transparency, accountability and ethical conduct in all its dealings, and will continue to cooperate with security agencies to ensure that all fraudulent activities are exposed and appropriately sanctioned.
Signed:
Uredo Omale
Director, Public Relations and Protocol
Kogi State Polytechic Lokoja