A deep-seated leadership crisis has engulfed the Federal Polytechnic Ayede, characterized by allegations of multi-million naira financial mismanagement, forged documents, and a widening rift between the Governing Council and the Federal Ministry of Education.
The institution, which has only four of its thirteen National Diploma (ND) courses fully accredited, is currently navigating a period of intense administrative instability following the suspension of its Acting Rector, Dr. Azeez Olasunkanmi Ojo.
THE SUSPENSION AND FINANCIAL ALLEGATIONS
The crisis escalated in late April 2026 when the Governing Council Chairman, Hon. Yakubu Dati, suspended Dr. Ojo. The Council’s report alleges that Dr. Ojo engaged in “serious misconduct,” including:
UNAUTHORIZED FINANCIAL WITHDRAWALS: Allegations of N200,000,000 withdrawn from institutional accounts without due process.
OBSTRUCTION OF PRINCIPAL OFFICERS: Refusing to enroll the newly appointed Registrar and Bursar on the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), allegedly allowing the outgone Bursar to continue operating financial platforms weeks after her tenure ended.
QUESTIONABLE TETFUND ALLOCATIONS: A report detailing that 2026 TETFUND conference support was distributed among only 19 staff members—each receiving over N5 million—while significant fabrication intervention funds were awarded to two staff members, one of whom allegedly does not belong to the Sciences or Engineering departments.
Dr. Ojo, in his defense, has maintained that he acted in good faith, citing directives from the Federal Ministry of Education for his actions, and has characterized his suspension as an attempt to undermine his administration.
FORGERY AND INTERNAL UNREST
The turmoil has extended to other high-ranking staff. Dr. Kehinde Abraham Odelade, Acting Director of Research Development, Innovation and Grants Management, recently issued a scathing rebuttal to a “fictitious” petition written in his name against the Governing Council Chairman.
Dr. Odelade distanced himself from the petition, suggesting it was the work of “terrible people” within the institution attempting to tarnish his reputation for challenging injustices regarding the distribution of TETFUND conference and research grants.
He further warned that the institution is “sitting on a gun powder” due to a lack of transparency and a severe shortage of equipment for student training, noting that the Science Laboratory Technology department has lacked basic equipment since 2022.
MINISTRY INTERVENTION AND GOVERNING COUNCIL SPLIT
The conflict has now reached the highest levels of government. On May 14, 2026, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, issued a directive to the Governing Council to nullify the appointments of the newly appointed Registrar (Mrs. Bukola Elizabeth Dairo) and Bursar (Mr. Oluseyi Abiola Afolabi), and to appoint the “first runners-up” from their respective interview processes instead.
However, the directive has sparked a new internal revolt. A group of five Government (Presidential) Appointees on the Governing Council wrote to the Chairman on May 26, 2026, accusing him of failing to implement the Minister’s decisions and acting unilaterally.
The appointees specifically allege that:
Despite the Minister’s nullification, Mrs. Dairo has continued to act as Registrar, issuing internal memoranda.
The Chairman appointed a new Acting Rector without consulting the Governing Council, a direct violation of the Minister’s warning to desist from unilateral decisions.
The directives issued by the Federal Ministry of Education on May 14, 2026, regarding the leadership of the Federal Polytechnic Ayede have indeed become a focal point of intense controversy within the institution.
While the letter from the Honourable Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, mandates the immediate nullification of the appointments of the Registrar, Mrs. Bukola Elizabeth Dairo, and the Bursar, Mr. Oluseyi Abiola Afolabi, and instructs the Governing Council to replace them with the “first runners-up,” it does not provide explicit, public justifications for why those who originally succeeded in the selection process should be replaced.
This lack of transparency regarding the rationale for the Ministry’s decision has created several points of contention:
CONFLICT AMONG COUNCIL MEMBERS: The Government (Presidential) Appointees on the Governing Council have highlighted this directive as a central issue, demanding its immediate implementation despite the ongoing confusion.
CONTINUED ADMINISTRATIVE DISRUPTION: The directive has led to a situation where the nullified officers, particularly the Registrar, have continued to function in their roles, which the Presidential Appointees argue is a “flagrant disregard” of the Minister’s decision.
THE PROBLEM OF UNILATERAL ACTIONS: The crisis is compounded by the allegation that the Chairman of the Governing Council has been acting unilaterally in response to these directives, leading to further accusations of illegality by other Council members who feel excluded from the decision-making process.
As of June 1, 2026, the administration of Federal Polytechnic Ayede remains in a state of flux, with conflicting factions battling for control of the institution’s future.
