Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu
Five senior lecturers and seven other workers at the Auchi Polytechnic have been sacked for offences bordering on sexual harassment and extortion of female students in the school.
Fifteen other lecturers and one instructor were also demoted in relation to the same offences.
The disciplinary actions were announced on Thursday by the Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education, Dr. Masa’udu Adamu-Kazaure, in Kaduna.
Adamu-Kazaure said the decision was endorsed by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu.
The sacking and the demotion of the lecturers followed aSaturday PUNCH’s story of April 9, 2016, entitled, “School where prostitutes assist male students to get marks.”
The story had detailed how male students of Auchi poly hired prostitutes or begged their girlfriends to sleep with lecturers in order to earn higher grade in their courses.
 It also narrated how some of the lecturers preferred to accept cash, ranging from N10,000 to N20,000, rather than sex to award grades, usually not above ‘C’ to male students.
Adamu-Kazaure commendedSaturday PUNCH “for a job well done.”
 He said, “When we saw the report, we promptly informed the Minister of Education, the ICPC, the EFCC and the Department of State Services and constituted a fact-finding committee with a view to getting to the root of the matter and proffering a lasting solution to the problem. Members of the committee included members of staff from the Federal Ministry of Education, the NBTE, the EFCC and the DSS.”
 He said the report of the committee was submitted on June 14, 2016 at the 160th Regular Meeting of the NBTE where it was deliberated upon before being sent to the Minister of Education for approval.
The outcome of the committee’s report, he explained, was the dismissal and the termination of the appointments as well as other disciplinary actions taken against the culpable lecturers and workers of the institution.
He said, “The approval involved the dismissal from service of the polytechnic of two chief lecturers, two principal lecturers and one lecturer I.
“Also, four chief lecturers, one principal lecturer,  one lecturer I, one lecturer II and one higher technician had their appointments terminated.
“The honourable minister also approved the demotion of one chief lecturer, four principal lecturers, three senior lecturers, three lecturer I, four lecturer II and one senior instructor.
“One chief lecturer, one principal lecturer I and one lecturer III were warned; while a chief lecturer and one senior technologist were advised on good conduct.
“Two senior lecturers were cautioned, an assistant lecturer is to be mentored; one ND student is to be advised, while another student, Gideon Adaengel, is denied admission into the polytechnic.”
He thanked Saturday PUNCH for putting the board, committee and the management of the institution on their toes to perform their statutory function better.
“I will write a letter commending The PUNCH editor,” he added.