*But Provost Debunks Claim, Says Facts are Misrepresented
Students of A.D. Rufa’i College of Education, Legal and General Studies, Misau, Bauchi State pay multiple fees before they could be registered for class attendance. But the college only offers services that are not commensurate with the long list of payments demanded from the students. In this report, WikkiTimes’ Babaji Usman Babaji reports how the college fleeces students in many ways and yet justifies its dubious charges.
Students of A.D. Rufai College of Education, Legal and General Studies Misau, in Bauchi State, pay multiple fees at the beginning of every session. But they are provided with only mediocre services that are not commensurate to the fees paid.
Legal Misau, as the institution is otherwise called, has a 7,806 student population comprising 316 undergraduates, 3,159 NCE and 4,331 Diploma students.
Chart showing the Distribution of Students in A.D. Rufa’i College
This is separate from the primary and secondary school sections with over 1,000 students and pupils admitted into the college.
WikkiTimes investigates how the institution under the leadership of Provost Auwal Ibrahim Amba extorts students in fee payment and misrepresents the fees collected in a way that makes accountability opaque.
Students of the college told WikkiTimes that they sometimes pay twice for the same service at the various centres established by the college.
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For instance, in several payment receipts tracked by WikkiTimes, each student pays N700 for “IT” (Industrial Training) via the college’s portal. This is a precondition for registration as a bona fide student.
Another N3000 is charged for “SIWES” (Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme) at CLICONSULT, a private company owned by the college.
At the departmental level, students are also charged N500 as a fee for the SIWES logbook. But all payments are for the same purpose, the students confirmed.
Receipts Showing Payment of “IT” and SIWES by one Student
Logbook Fee Receipt paid in the department
“IT” or “SIWES” describes the compulsory period of practical training that students in higher institutions spend as interns in private or public companies ahead of graduation.
The programme is a compulsory graduation requirement for all students offering diploma or degree courses in Nigerian tertiary institutions of learning
The National Universities Commission (NUC) confirmed that the two terms mean the same service. It says, “Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) or Industrial Training (IT)” is the accepted skills training programme which forms part of the approved minimum academic standards in the various degree programmes for all Nigerian Universities.
NUC explained that the main objective of the programme is to integrate theory with practice as a way of preparing students for the careers after school.
ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAINING AS SCAM
Similarly, the students in the college were charged N3000 as an ‘Entrepreneurship fee’ in the second year. The idea is to develop students’ entrepreneurial skills and prepare them for economic survival after graduation. But many students, especially diploma students, were not allowed to sit for the class. Even the NCE students who also paid for the Entrepreneurship class could only attend a few times before the end of the academic session.
Receipt showing Entrepreneurship Fee Payment
When WikkiTimes visited the college, the reporter noticed that the Entrepreneurship Development course was not captured in the examination timetable.
Diploma II Second Semester Exams Timetable
A Diploma II student who pleaded anonymity for fear of being victimised told WikkiTimes that he was initially confident of obtaining skills relevant to facing the labour market after graduation. But that is not to happen, he said.
“We paid N3,000 for the course during registration but the college did not offer the course throughout the session.”
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WikkiTimes checked the second-semester results of the immediately graduated students, and none contained an Entrepreneurship Development course though it is supposed to be a second-semester course.
Diploma II Second Semester Result of 2021/2022 Session
Salihu Ahmed, Head of Admin CLISCONSULT confirmed that the entrepreneurship programme was introduced by the federal government to address the problem of graduates’ unemployment.
“The circular was issued to NCCE (National Commission for Colleges of Education) for all colleges and NBTE (National Board for Technical Education) for all polytechnics.”
Ahmed however said the programme is not compulsory.
WikkiTimes saw the three buildings designated as centres for entrepreneurship training, but most students said they had never stepped into any of them, despite paying for the course registration because the class never holds.
COMPULSORY PAYMENT FOR VOLUNTARY SERVICE
Salihu denied the students’ claim. According to him, the inability of the students to attend the training is due to their lack of interest because the course was not made compulsory in the college.
“You know one thing with students? If it’s not made compulsory, they will not do it. It is left for them to come as they please. Would a lecturer be going to the classes and chasing students to join the entrepreneurial training?”
“Last year, we did it for about three months, we trained them how to make shoes. And we have professional trainers here. Although the students don’t want to participate, the payment is mandatory,” he stressed.
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Ahmed explained that CLISCONSULT was established by the college as another pay point to ease the school’s workload.
“This is a company established by the college. When there is too much work, we take it over and do it here. The SIWES fees and any other collection are for the college.”
While asked the reason for charging students twice for SIWES, Salihu said only the Provost of the college could answer that question.
“This question could only be answered by the Provost himself, I have limitations,” he said.
He declined further comment.
I PAID FOR A SCHOOL ID CARD, BUT…
Another form of extortion at the A.D Rufa’i College is through the student’s school ID card. Receipts tracked show each student pays N700 for the card during their first registration, but only a few end up getting the card.
Receipt Showing ID Card Fee Payment
In other colleges, ID cards are given to students for special recognition and privileges. But,in A.D Rufa’i College of Education, the cards are issued to only a few lucky ones, while the rest of the students go about the campus without any means of identification, despite paying for it.
Abbas Adamu a Civil Law student was lucky to obtain his ID card, but not many of his colleagues. “Only a few of us have an ID card in this school. The ID card is important to have because once you run into a problem anywhere, you could be easily identified, and get help.”
There are 18 items for which students must pay in the college. Out of these, every student must pay for nine items. New students must exclusively pay for an additional four items, three items are for the returning colleagues. Two other items are applicable to any student. These payments are separate from other charges paid at their respective departments.
Items Payable in A.D Rufa’i College
But Jaafar Musa (not real name, also for fear of victimisation) was not as lucky as Abbas, despite his efforts to obtain his identity card.
“They didn’t give me mine.” He confirmed that only a few students were lucky to obtain an identity card.
“I went several times to collect it, but I wasn’t successful. We paid N700 (the ID Card fee) during our registration two years ago. I am now in the second year and about to graduate, yet I have no ID card,” he said.
According to students, the examiners don’t request the school ID card during examinations.
“Just a few days before we began exams, I went there and complained, they asked me to come again and meet one of their directors when he came back. I went there several times later, but nothing happened. But I was able to write the exam even without the student ID card. Now, we have just a few months to go, and I have no school ID card still. The situation is the same for most of our senior colleagues who graduated.”
Chart Showing the proportion of ID Card Accessibility among 13 Respondents
STAFF REPLACED BY DUBIOUS COMMITTEE
WikkiTimes also learnt that the college, under Dr. Amba, sidelined the staff responsible for the management of the students’ feeding store, and instead constituted a committee headed by Malam Babangida Dahiru.
Dahiru as the Chairman of the Feeding Task Force Committee doubled as the Dean of the School of Languages in the institution.
Insiders who spoke to WikkiTimes said the staff did not participate in the procurement process in the last three years and could not serve the students. Yet they were made to sign invoices brought by the Dahiru-led committee without questioning
The source said staff members of the store sign procurement documents submitted to them without objection.
Previously, the store staffs were the legitimate officers handling the feeding of the over a thousand boarding students of the Higher Islamic (HIs) section in the college, a programme financed by the Bauchi State government.
The Chairman of the committee, Dahiru told WikkiTimes that he was selected by the college management under Dr Amba to head the committee as part of his services in the school.
“I was assigned to head the committee and this is part of my service as the staff of the college. It was the management that decided so,” he said.
‘THIS IS NOT THE WAY OUR FOOTBALL FIELD SHOULD LOOK’
The shabby-looking football fields and old sporting materials are other evidence of poor mismanagement at the college.
The receipts obtained by WikiTimes showed each student pays a sum of N700 as a game fee, but students complained that the playing field is bereft of sporting facilities.
Sports Field of A.D Rufa’i College
Jaafar Musa, a student, said he would have loved playing his favourite sports (volleyball) and other games during his leisure time on the field, but he ended up playing these games on his smartphone, “We don’t play any other game apart from football, and we usually find it difficult to replace a ball when it gets damaged, there are no sporting materials in this college,” he stressed.
PROVOST REACTS
Dr Awwal Ibrahim Amba, the Provost, A.D Rufa’i College of Education Legal and General Studies Misau, described most of the allegations against his administration as misrepresentation of the truth.
First, he explained that due to inadequate funds in the institution, fees generated for a particular service can be used for other services.
He argued that the funds are collectively saved in a college-owned account and may be used even for what it was not primarily collected for.
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“The charges for IT, library, registration, ID card must not exclusively be used for the purpose. If you try this, how will you pay casual workers their wages, how will you supply students with water, cleaners, light and other amenities which are not captured in their payments? All the collections are put in a college single account and are used for any pressing need,” he explained.
“The fees paid by students in their respective values are mere data for auditing purposes, and not only in this school,” he claimed. “No sub-account is reserved for IT, ID card etc, but the collections are all kept in one account and can be used for any need in the school.”
The Provost justified that his actions were taken in the interest of the students.
Dr Awwal Amba, Provost A.D Rufa’i College
Dr Amba, while responding about the entrepreneurial skills acquisition in the college, claimed that all the potential students acquire the skills and no report contradicted his claim.
“We have three skills acquisition programs: shoe and bag making, tailoring, and catering. They are doing it but in batches because of the inadequate space,” he added.
Dr. Amba argued that apart from the students in the college, other community members benefited from the training.
“The Misau Emirate Students’ Association (MESA) requested the centre and they did their training there.”
Explaining further, Dr. Amba acknowledged that “IT and SIWES are the same services, but insisted that a student paying for one item is not required to pay for the other.
Contrary to the Provost’s claim, receipts tracked by WikkiTimes showed each Diploma II student pays N700 as an “IT fee” on the school portal and another N3,000 as a “SIWES fee” at the CLISCONSULT payment point.
Dr. Amba explained that such charges are used for supervision during the attachment period and for other needs of the college.
He said the money generated from SIWES charges is managed by an independent committee in the institution. “They only get the management’s consent,” he added.
He complained that, unlike some institutions, A.D Rufa’i College does not get support from TETFund (Tertiary Education Trust Fund), hence the limited funding to provide better service for students. He also dismissed the claim about the inability of students to get ID cards despite payment, arguing that any student that has not obtained an ID card, might not have complied with the instruction, such as failing to provide a passport or fill the relevant form.
Contrary to his claim, students said all the requirements were met, but the school officials always offer excuses for their inability to provide identity cards.
Commenting on the complaints that his administration sidelined staff of the school store, Dr. Amba said the committee was inaugurated to address the flaws being observed when the store staffs were in charge of food supply.
He explained that the committee is constituted by a representative from different sections including the store office, two representatives of the benefiting school (the secondary school section of the institution), representatives of the registry, the procurement officer, and the head boy of the school.
“When the staff in the store were handling it, there were complaints about the quantity and quality of the food students were being served. But ever since the committee took over the programme we have not recorded any problem.”
The Provost, however, acknowledged the shoddy condition of the sporting fields despite the payments made by students. He said the funds raised from the game fee might have been used for other things in the college.
“We can use them for other things in the college. It is during my tenure as Provost we construct the main gate of the college,” he said, justifying the reason for the poor accountability.
Regarding the complaint about the poor maintenance of the school environment despite the charges of N500 ‘Environmental Maintenance fee, the Provost said the school hires labourers to clean the school only once every month because of insufficient funds.
DESPITE FREE FORMS, STUDENTS DESERTING
Dr Amba, however, lamented about the low number of students enrolment in the college regardless of his efforts to give out free forms to some influencers.
“We give out admission forms for free to different LGs, and lawmakers, yet, we get very few students. This year, (2022/2023), we have only 144 students for NCE admitted to study 20 courses.
“And these courses are sustained by conforming with certain conditions by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) including payment of a certain amount called affiliation charges. To request accreditation of courses, you must pay accreditation charges as well, and all these can only be sourced from the students’ school fees.
Ibrahim Dahiru, the Secretary in the office of the Deputy Registrar (Academics) confirmed to WikkiTimes that in the 2020/2021 session, the school had 3,327 new students, comprising Diploma, NCE, and undergraduate students.
He explained that the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 sessions recorded 2,055 and 2,424 new students respectively.
Graph showing a decrease in student enrolment
According to Dahiru, there are 7,806 students including the outgoing students of the 2020/2021 session.
But students blamed the management for the low rating of the college, especially the poor leadership of the Provost.
Dr Amba refuted the claim that the decrease in students’ enrolment was as a result of his lacklustre leadership, insisting on the transparency of his management style, despite the evidence of dubious payments for fictitious services.
Other top-ranking officials of the college instead blamed the Bauchi State government for underfunding the school.
In the last five years, a total amount of N5.3 billion was allocated to the college.
Here is the breakdown. Out of the N198.8 billion 2019 Bauchi State total budget, N1.2 billion was allocated to the college and N1.14 billion for the 2020 fiscal year.
Also, N1.18 billion was approved for A.D Rufai College in the 2021 budget, N1.19 billion in 2022 and N649.6 million in the 2023 state budget. But WikiTimes could not verify whether these allocations were released to the college.
Indeed, Governor Bala Mohammed allegedly spent more than half of this money just to buy cars for himself and other government officials in 2019 as reported by PREMIUM TIMES.
“This investigation is produced with support from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability Project CMEDIA and funded by MacArthur Foundation.”
Edited by Ajibola Amzat
Legal review: S.G. Idrees esq.
This publication is produced with support from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability Project (CMEDIA) funded by the MacArthur Foundation.
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