Akwapoly denies shutdown threat by the NBTEC over appointment of new Rector

Joe Effiong, Uyo

The authorities of the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Ekpene, have vehemently refuted the allegation that the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has threatened to shut down the institution over the appointment of an unqualified rector. Local tabloids in the state have been awash with stories of fraud and other mismanagement issues in the institution since the appointment of its new board last June. But addressing the press on Thursday, the new chairman of the governing council of the institution, Mr. Ekpenyong Ntekim, said though they had ignored several other inappropriate publications concerning the school, they had to urgently react to debunk the alleged threat to close down the school since it is totally false and capable of misinforming the general public.

He averred that from the nature and character of the false publications against or about the school, it was obvious that syndicated works of mischievous cleavages were at work to damage the name of the school as well as desecrate the intended objective of government over it.

Ntekim craved the partnership of the media professionals especially, the local tabloids, explaining that sensational and bad news might sell papers faster, “but I request that our brothers of the pen profession should maximally exercise professional wisdom, decorum and patriotism in reporting issues concerning this school in a manner that will cooperatively build its image and attain its set noble objectives.”