Date: 2014-05-01

The Rector, Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Alhaji Masud Elelu, is desperately lobbying to secure a second term as helmsman of the institution, National Pilot has reliably gathered.  

Elelu, a former Senior Training Manager at the Dailytrust Newspapers, Abuja Head Office, was appointed rector of the institution in June, 2009. 

Following his ‘condition’ of appointment as contained in an advertorial published in National Dailies, dated January 28, 2009 and signed by the then Acting Registrar of the institution, M.O Salami, Elelu’s tenure should wind-up in June this year.

The advertorial reads in part’” Condition of appointment of Rector: The appointment shall be for a single term of five years only without any renewal’’.

Barely two months to the end of his single term of five years, the Rector, Kwara State Polytechnic, this medium learnt, had started lobbying political gladiators in the state with a view to extending his tenure in office with additional term of five years. 

To achieve this, a highly placed source within the institution alleged that the Chairman, Governing Council of the institution, Professor Sheu Jimoh, had been ‘recruited’ for the mission, a development that did not go down with some members of the school’s board. 

The source alleged further that Jimoh, a retired Professor of Education Psychology from the University of Ilorin, had spoken twice with the state Governor, Dr. Abdulfattah Ahmed, on the re-appointment of Elelu. 

‘’The Rector of the state owned Polytechnic, Alhaji Masud Elelu, is desperately lobbying for a second term in office, which is contrary to the tradition and laws guiding the appointment and tenure of rector in this institution. In a nutshell, what he is doing is illegal. 

“Based on  available information at our disposal, the rector had contacted the Chairman, Governing Board of the institution, Professor Sheu Jimoh, to assist him to contact all the political heavyweights in the state to secure his second term in office.

“As a matter of fact, we learnt that Prof. Sheu Jimoh had spoken on phone with the state governor twice on the re-appointment of Alhaji Masud Elelu, ‘’ the source claimed.

Another source within the school, who also described the alleged moves by Elelu to seek re-appointment as illegal, disclosed that the Governing Board of the Polytechnic had written to the governor against extending his term.

According to the source, what the rector did was totally contrary to the condition of his appointment, which stipulates a single term of five years and alleged that his tenure was ‘full of misdeeds and unimaginable corruption’’.           

Also, a document dated February 18, 2008, from the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and signed by the then Commissioner in charge of the ministry, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, which this medium was privy to, and addressed to all heads of the state owned tertiary institutions, was categorical on a single tenure.

“Following the adoption of the Report of Technical Committee for the establishment of Kwara State University in December, 2007 and the subsequent release of Government White Paper in this regard, I am directed to convey government’s directive that tenure of office of Heads of Tertiary Institutions, Registrar, Bursar, Librarian and Director of Works in the state’s tertiary institutions will now be a non-renewable single term/ tenure of five (5) years. The above policy directive is with immediate effect’’, the document revealed.

However, the re-appointment move of Elelu, this medium also reliably gathered had met brick walls from members of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Union (IEDPU), who reportedly described it as a suicide mission.

A source within the group, who spoke in confidence with our reporter last night, said the association held a meeting last Saturday where it was resolved to scuttle his ambition, alleging that he did not represent the ‘’interest’’ of the emirate as the rector of the school.

When contacted, the Public Relations of institution, Mallam Yunus Abdulkadir, for reactions on the allegation against the rector of the school, he declined comments, and directed our reporter to Elelu, whose line was switched off as at 11pm on Wednesday.