Students at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, staged a protest on Monday accusing the school’s rector, Dr. Temitope John Alake, of maltreatment and unjustly barring them from participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program. The students claim their exclusion stems from the institution's failure to meet the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) requirements concerning the total number of part-time students.
According to the protesting students, JAMB requested clarification and disclosure of certain part-time students deemed “illegal,” a directive the rector has allegedly refused to comply with. As a result, many graduates have been denied the opportunity to mobilize for NYSC, even as the institution reportedly continues to recruit new staff members requiring NYSC discharge certificates for employment.
One anonymous student lamented their academic and career prospects are being jeopardized due to management's non-cooperation with JAMB. The students vowed to persist in their demands for accountability and resolution until they are allowed to proceed to NYSC like their counterparts from other institutions.
The protest has drawn significant attention, highlighting concerns about transparency and fairness in student mobilization processes at the polytechnic.