Acting Rector, Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State, Mustapha Zubair, speaks with journalist on challenges in the institution and the need to embark on research to boost the economy, among other sundry issues, Mudiaga Affe attended the briefing.

You came in at a difficult time when your predecessor died in office and we had the COVID-19 pandemic, how have you been managing the institution?
It has not been that easy, but with God and focus, whatever you are doing you will always forge ahead. For instance, during the COVID-19 era, a lot of activities went on. We set up a Palliative Committee that saw to the welfare of the poor ones among us and as the chairman of the committee, I saw that almost everybody was happy with the measure we took. What people needed at that time were basic things to make them survive such as foodstuff and others.

Before the death of the former rector, we set up an engineering-based committee saddled with the responsibility of research areas that will help cushion the effect of COVID-19. It was the committee, which I chaired, that came up with the fabricated hand-washing machine, the dispensing booth aimed at combating the COVID-19 issue. We also produced sanitizers and branded face masks. Unfortunately, when the former rector fell ill and eventually died, the administration of the school fell on me.
It was God that used some individuals to pass on the leadership to me because they felt we are capable of doing the job and to His glory, all is going on well.

What are some of the challenges associated with your office?
The challenges are enormous. When you come into an office the expectations will be high and everybody wants attention. The first thing is to let the people know that in as much as we want to resolve so many issues we would have to work with the available resources because globally it was a critical time in terms of finance.

On assumption of office, we had to go for accreditation that was to have been done in 2019. So, the struggle started because if our courses are not accredited it is as good as we are not existing and people would not want to hear that it was the change in leadership that made us fail accreditation.

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We have just come out of the COVID-19 lockdown, however, within our limited resources we had to do the accreditation. Some classrooms, offices, and even residential accommodation were in a bad state, but we had to do it. Even water supply too was a problem because before now we supplied water with tankers, but to the glory of God, that issue has been resolved when I came in as we now have boreholes that supply water directly to the homes in the two staff quarters that we have. We extended the same to offices and our KG, primary and secondary schools. All these we tried to do amidst the tight financial constraints. The accreditation was a test of my administration and it scaled through. We have 21 programmes from 17 departments that faced accreditation and we sailed through all of them.

There is this nagging issue of inappropriate behaviour among a few lecturers who sometimes demand sex-for-grade, how have you been able to address this?
It was a major issue in 2016 when it was widely reported that Auchi Poly was tagged sex-for-grade institution. When this happened, I was taken aback because how could I belittle myself as a lecturer to offer grade-for-sex. It takes two hearts to come together to agree to have sex. I was troubled at that time when the stories were flying. In over 21 years of my active service in class, they know who I am. To the glory of God, no student can ever confront me to say I received gratification to grade them.

Agreed, men are polygamous, but before they come to terms to have sex, there must have been some form of communication and they would have agreed. But for someone who says he is a lecturer and because you have an advantage over an innocent girl you now give condition, it is inhuman. Do not take advantage of any person in your life because the innocent child you are maltreating today may be the only person you may need to help you tomorrow.

So, as an institution, we frown at it. As an individual too, I frown at it and that is the warning that we have been giving to them. I pray we always do the right thing. They should see all the female students as their children. Even when you talk of sex, you do not just barge in on your wife, you have to come to terms. Each time I hear of these inhuman behaviour of some lecturers I only just wonder if it could be true. This administration will never tolerate that and that is the message we are passing across. We may not be too combatant, but we are focused and we will not allow any unethical practices within the system.

There seems to be dwindling interest in qualitative research in higher institutions, what do you think is responsible for this and how can the issue be addressed?
Interest is the first thing that counts. To a very great extent, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) is helping and I know it is aiding a number of our staff who are into research. There is an intervention referred to as Institutional-Based Research (IBR) that is normally released by TETFUND to all institutions. In Auchi Poly, we make it open and anybody that throws in their proposals will be processed, and once approved you can have your money. Some of the facilities, for instance, that we used to fight this COVID-19 scourge were locally produced. Also, in the area of agricultural development and engineering technology, we have been making progress in terms of research.

On a larger note, I keep saying that Nigeria will not get out of its economic mess until we go into massive production of goods and services. All we do now is buying and selling, you wait for somebody to produce and send to us, how do you develop? It is only when you are into production that you will determine what you want by fixing prices and other factors. But something you do not have control of they will have to dictate to you. Some of us were spurred to read engineering going by what we experienced in the late 70s and early 80s when you look at our manufacturing sector, but today, everything is dead.

So, except we revive that and we see ourselves going into production and manufacturing by encouraging science and technology, we shall not go far as a country. I am sorry if it is this buying and selling, we are getting nowhere. I doubt if our economy will grow this way. We have to invest in science and technology and encourage our younger ones to partake in it. Let them graduate and provide work for themselves. I am bitter when I see an engineering graduate becoming a bank worker, what is their business there.

How have you been able to tackle the issue of cultism and drug abuse among students?
What these students need is attention. Many of them go into these practices because, maybe, the desired attention of the management or individuals are not there and before you know it they may feel that if you do not get it the normal way, why not the abnormal way. One of my fears, when I took over, was how to manage these students, but even before I became the acting Rector I meddled in many of the crises, so, already, we have been interacting.

Whenever their election is coming, I bless all the candidates that come to me but I tell them that I do not have voting rights and they must campaign among their mates to solicit votes. I have never imposed any candidate on them, I only encourage them to do their campaign and make all the facilities available to them including security.

As I said, I relate with them and it is when you give them the attention that they will be free to work with you and express their feelings. I do not build bricks around me. In the area of cultism, it is all about who you are. I have always counselled them as my children and let them know the evils inherent in cultism. I challenge them most times by telling them that after 17 years of training, they end up carrying guns as a cultist and become lunatics and criminals. I give them the run-down that after you spend six years in primary school, another six years in secondary school, and five years in the polytechnic, you end up becoming a criminal, and I tell them to assess themselves. I address their minds and to the glory of God, some of them become very sober after listening to me. We also have a series of programmes and workshops where these issues are addressed. However, we have also tried to make the facilities in their hostels conducive for them to live in so that we do not have a crisis. We let them know that we are their parents at school, so, we try to do what will make them comfortable just as we do to our children at home.

What is your relationship with the host community?
Well, I do not want to give myself self-appraisal but I am overwhelmed at what they say about me in the community. We have a very good working relationship. If not for anything, I will always give thanks to them, not just in the Auchi community, but also in Jattu, South-Ibie, and other neighbouring communities. I think what I enjoy is the favour of God. We even went as far as intervening for the off-campus students who were asked by their landlord to renew their rent when they came back from the COVID-19 lock-down. We made the landlords understand that it cannot be so because they have not been around and had only resumed continuing the 2019/2020 session, which they agreed. We made them understand that rent should be based on the academic year, not the normal calendar year and they allowed the students to remain.