How Rector’s Fake Certificate Denies ITHY Accreditation By NBTE In Bayelsa
As fate of 65 pioneer students hangs on the balance
Serious indications have emerged that the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the accrediting and regulatory body for Polytechnics and Monotechnics has reportedly stepped down the accreditation of the newly established International Institute of Tourism & Hospitality Yenagoa, on account of worthless academic credentials of the institute’s Rector, Mr. Samuel Timi Johnson, which he claimed to have obtained from an undisclosed university in the United State of America, where he claimed to have practiced as chef for 35 years prior to his appointment by the Bayelsa state governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson in 2017.
According to a source, this discovery was made by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly Committee on Public Petitions, chaired by Hon. Tare Pori, during an interrogatory session with top management of the institute, following an earlier invitation by the committee on account of a petition to the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Tonye Emmanuel Isenah by six aggrieved academic staff against top management of the institute.
The cat was let of the bag on Rector’s “Toronto” certificates while he was responding to questions by a female member of the Committee who asked the Rector pointed questions as to whether he possessed the required relevant academic qualifications to be appointed as Rector of the International Institute of Tourism & Hospitality, which is meant to award both national diploma and higher national diplomas as a Monotechnic.
The Rector, in response, reportedly told the lawmakers that he was a certified registered ServSafe instructor of the National Restaurants Association of America, USA. However, findings at the Federal Ministry of Education Abuja showed that Rector’s highest academic certificate, being the “ServSafe certificate” from the National Restaurants’ Association of America, was not an equivalent to the least recognized academic qualification in Nigeria, being First School Leaving Certificate, not to talk of obtaining a Senior School Certificate or a Degree.
It will be recalled that the NBTE guidelines for appointment of a Rector in Polytechnic, Monotechnic and other allied technological institutions stipulates that the person must be of the rank of Chief Lecturer (Polytechnic) or its equivalent (Professor) rank in a University and holder of a Doctorate Degree in the relevant field(s) from a recognized institution with at least 12 years of teaching/applied research work experience.
In addition, the candidate should have five academic papers, read at national/international conference/seminar; four additional papers/articles published in reputable journals and must have contributed four meaningful chapters in standard textbooks or two standard textbooks. Such appointee must also show evidence of community service and membership of a relevant academic professional body as with valid registration.
From this reporter’s findings, Mr. Timi Johnson does not have any of the aforementioned requirements (not even the least First School Leaving Certificate).
Sources hinted that the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the accrediting body for Polytechnics and Monotechnics in Nigeria had since declined to continue with the earlier accreditation process of the institute’s National Diploma (ND) programmes, pending the removal of the current Rector on account of his incompetence and lack of required relevant academic qualifications to become a Rector of a Monotechnic that would be awarding NBTE’s National Diploma and Higher National Diplomas. A letter emanating from the Federal Ministry of Education after an evaluation of the Rector’s American certificates, with ref: No FME/SE/S/174/C.3/LXXXII/212, dated April 12, 2013, obtained by this reporter, stated that the “Servesafe” Certificate, being the highest qualification the Rector presented is just a “Proficiency Certificate for the Enhancement of Skill on the Job’’.
It is a sad commentary that this ugly development at the institute has truncated the educational pursuits of over sixty (60) pioneer students who registered for the National Diploma programmes of the institute in the 2016/2017 academic session. These pioneer students ended up spending three (3) good years in the institute for a two years’ programme, without obtaining their National Diploma certificates due to the non accreditation of the institute’s programmes by the accrediting body, owing to the lack of relevant academic qualifications of the Rector.
It was also learnt on good authority that the embattled Rector has been making spirited efforts to reach out to the Speaker of the House and the House committee chairman, including a frontline governorship aspirant and some commissioners in the state to conceal the matter before it gets to the ears of the governor.
The self acclaimed American trained Chef is also reported to be under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Bayelsa Police Command over a case of criminal impersonation he allegedly committed at the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Abuja, for which he has been invited twice.
Mr. Johnson is also said to be having a running battle with the Registrar of the Institute over alleged monumental fraud and diversion of institute’s fund, amounting to over 80million naira.
A Government House source in Yenagoa, who pleaded not to be mentioned, hinted that some top government officials were still bent on ensuring that the certificate scandal was concealed from the governor to allow the Rector stay in office till the end of the governor’s second tenure, being February 14, 2020.
All efforts to speak with the spokesman of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, proved abortive as his phones were off at the time of filing this report. All calls put to the embattled Rector of the Institute were not picked.
