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EXCLUSIVE: How Lecturer Indicted, Suspended For Sexual Harassment Was Appointed Polytechnic Rector

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The Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, in Osun State, John Adekolawole, was suspended in 1995 for sexual harassment, years before he became the rector, a document obtained exclusively by PREMIUM TIMES revealed.

Despite the indictment, however, the academic still emerged the rector of the same polytechnic 22 years after, with the education ministry saying it had no knowledge of the 1995 suspension.

Mr Adekolawole was suspended for allegedly sexually harassing a woman in his office while he was the Director of School of Applied Science and Head of Department of Science Laboratory Technology.

The then registrar of the institution, F. C. Mordi, communicated Mr Adekolawole’s sanction for “gross misconduct” through a letter dated November 1, 1995 seen by PREMIUM TIMES.

During that period, Mr Adekolawole was known on campus as John Edaogbogun until 2010 when he changed his name to John Adekolawole.

Mr Adekolawole confirmed his suspension for sexual harassment in 1995 and also confirmed changing his name when PREMIUM TIMES confronted him with our findings.

According to the letter, Mr Adekolawole was suspended for two months without payment and was also removed from his positions.

“Consequent upon a case of gross misconduct in which you were involved, I write to inform you that the management has closely studied your defence as decided as follows:

i) Suspension for two (2) months without a pay with effect from 1st November, 1995.

ii) removal from the Directorship and Headship of the School of Applied Science and Department of Science Laboratory Technology respectively, with immediate effect”, part of his suspension letter obtained by PREMIUM TIMES read.

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“You are seriously warned to desist from any such act of gross misconduct in future, as any slightest information about such misdemeanor will attract severe disciplinary action against you. This is your last warning.

“You are to hand over all relevant documents and property of the school and the department respectively as well as all the scripts in the department to A. A. Adebesin with immediate effect. The handing over should be in the presence of the deputy rector,” the suspension letter issued to him then read.

Sources in the polytechnic disclosed to PREMIUM TIMES that the suspension letter was later removed from the rector’s file.

“It was in 2010 when he changed his name that he looked for means to remove the suspension letter from his file so as not to serve as hindrance to his career ambition,” a source at the institution said.

Mr Adekolawole did not deny the suspension when contacted by PREMIUM TIMES. He, however, said the suspension was to save him from being assassinated.

“The suspension you were talking about was arranged by the polytechnic then to save me from being assassinated. As the Director of the School of Applied Science then, I was one of the top people dealing with corruption, so some people then made arrangements, lied against me that I was involved in sexual misconduct.

“When I got the letter then, I went straight to the registrar who told me they purposely wrote the letter so the people pressuring them to deal with me will be deceived.”

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Asked why he did not appeal the suspension, he simply said “I was only suspended on paper. These people are bringing up all those issues now because they want to remove me as rector and they cannot remove me because God puts me there.”

He also confirmed changing his name and the removal of the suspension letter from his records with the polytechnic.

“I changed my name in 2010 after my Ph.D and it was because a prophetess called from Abuja that I should drop Edaogbogun for Adekolawole. The two names are mine but I just chose to change from Edaogbogun which is my father’s name to my own name, Adekolawole. The document was removed from my file after it was discovered that I did no wrong”.

Asked how it was removed, he simply said “by the authority of course. See, I don’t want us to go back to this.”

The Appointment

Mr Adekolawole was appointed the rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, in December 2017 by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He obtained his BSc Engineering Physics in 1982; MSc Engineering Physics in 1990; MPhil (Physics) in 2007; and PhD (Physics) in 2010.

He joined the service of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede in 1993 and served in various capacities in the institution before his appointment as the rector.

Mr Adekolawole is, however, enmeshed in a fresh crisis as the academic board of the institution passed a vote of no confidence on him on Monday. The board, headed by the rector, has reportedly sent its resolution to the education minister, calling for Mr Adekolawole’s suspension, after accusing him of maladministration.

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The polytechnic currently has no governing council which has the constitutional power to ask the president to remove the rector.

Mr Adekolawole has, however, denied any wrongdoing.

When contacted on why Mr Adekolawole was appointed despite the earlier indictment, the spokesperson of the federal ministry of education, Ben-Bem Goong, said the ministry was not aware of the earlier indictment.

“Nobody has complained about this to the ministry. The due process is that they (those who detect the wrongdoing) will write to the ministry, complaining of his sin and the ministry will take the necessary step to discipline the man if he is found wanting.

“It is not enough for people to sit somewhere and start creating crisis. I have not said the man has not done anything but let due process be followed. The government is not aware of the 1995 matter and if members of the academia have anything against him, they should complain to the ministry formally. Once it comes to our knowledge, we will set up an investigation,” he said.

The two spokespersons for President Buhari, Garba Shehu and Femi Adesina, did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES enquiry on whether or not the president was briefed about the earlier indictment before the 2017 appointment.

-Culled: PREMIUM TIMES

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Relief as suspected Ebola cases in Adamawa tested negative

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that there are currently no laboratory-confirmed cases of Ebola  in Adamawa.

The NCDC had on Saturday said that there were two suspected cases of Ebola in the north-east state, adding that the individuals had been isolated while contact identification was ongoing.

But in a statement on Sunday, the director-general of NCDC, Jide Idris,
said samples collected from the two individuals, who had symptoms suggestive of Ebola, tested negative after two rounds of testing.

“The report was received by the Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) in the early hours of 30 October 2026, following the identification of two individuals presenting with symptoms suggestive of Ebola, requiring further investigation,” the statement reads.

“Hence the alert that was released early this evening. The individuals have been isolated, and appropriate public health measures have been initiated.

“Samples were collected for laboratory testing to establish the cause of the illness. Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EBV after two rounds of testing.”

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Idris commended the Adamawa health commissioner and his team for their “proactive approach”, adding that the NCDC was working closely with the state government to investigate the report of suspected Ebola cases.

“Currently, there is no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa state,” he said.

“The index case previously confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory remains the only confirmed case reported in Nigeria to date.”

He urged the public to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information or speculating about the situation.

“The public is encouraged to obtain information from official government and public health communication channels,” he said.

Idris described Ebola as a serious infectious disease that requires prompt identification, appropriate clinical management and effective infection prevention and control measures.

“Anyone experiencing symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly following relevant exposure, should seek immediate medical attention and inform healthcare workers of any relevant travel or contact history,” he said.

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“Individuals should avoid self-medication and follow the advice of healthcare professionals.”

Nigeriaconfirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade on October 20, after a 42-year-old Swiss woman tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain in Abuja.

The patient, who had travelled from Uganda to Nigeria, was subsequently isolated and treated by Nigerian health workers.

On Monday, the federal governmentevacuated the patient to Switzerland aboard a medical plane.

Her husband, who was identified as a close contact, was also evacuated to Switzerland.

Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, said the patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious and communicating, with her laboratory test results approaching baseline levels.

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Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: 2027: S’West ADC leaders revolt against Atiku

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1. Many leaders of the African Democratic Congress in the South-West have expressed dissatisfaction with what they described as the marginalisation of the party’s structure in the region by the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The ADC leaders, including some state chairmen and governorship candidates, alleged that Atiku had been conducting his political activities in the region through his friends and allies, while leaving the party structure sidelined as presidential campaign activities prepared to gather momentum.

2. A United States federal court has rejected an attempt to obtain discovery from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and DCI Group in an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). 

3. The Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, CP Muhammad Bello, has confirmed the “rescue of three of the six Islamic clerics kidnapped on September 12 while travelling to Talata Mafara, Zamfara State.” Bello gave the confirmation in an interview with select reporters in Gusau. He said the rescue followed a multi-agency collaboration and seamless synergy between the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, the Department of State Services, DSS, and police operatives.

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4. The Grand Patron of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, have set a target of at least 1.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. According to a statement, the target was announced on Saturday in Osogbo during the inauguration of the movement’s state and local government structures.

5. Nigerians lose no less than N75bn annually to visa application expenses across foreign missions, with rejected Schengen visa applications alone accounting for an estimated €11.5m, equivalent to about N19bn in 2025.
This is according to a visa-cost analysis report obtained by Sunday PUNCH from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

6. With one accord, the governors of Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi, and Anambra States yesterday urged the people of the Southeast to avoid political distractions, and vote massively for President Bola Tinubu in next year’s presidential election. Governors Peter Mbah, Hope Uzodimma, Francis Nwifuru and Charles Soludo, said it was necessary for the zone to support Tinubu’s re-election bid to enable him consolidate the gains of his administration’s economic reforms

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7. Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has said Nigeria’s security challenges predate the administration of President Bola Tinubu, noting that terrorism, insurgency and banditry had been entrenched in the country before 2023 when Tinubu assumed office. He said the country’s security problems were rooted in years of porous borders, illegal arms proliferation, youth unemployment and the spread of extremist ideologies.

8. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike has directed supporters of President Bola Tinubu to deliver their polling unit in the forthcoming 2027 general elections. Addressing the supporters, Wike framed the upcoming general elections as a critical opportunity for residents of the nation’s capital to rectify past electoral missteps and unite under a strategic development banner.

9. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has removed the name of the Kano State governorship candidate of the National Democratic Congress, NDC, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, from its updated list of candidates for the 2027 general elections. A check on the commission’s website shows that the names of Gwarzo and his deputy were conspicuously missing from the updated list.

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10. Four young men have been arrested by the Bauchi State Police Command for allegedly abducting and gang-raping a 12-year-old girl in Sakwa District, Zaki Local Government Area of the state. The suspects were arrested following a complaint by the victim’s 50-year-old father, who reported the incident at the Sakwa Divisional Police Headquarters on Thursday.

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Wale Tinubu, Rabiu, others Join President Tinubu in Makkah for Umrah

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The Group Chief Executive Oando Plc, Jubril Adewale Tinubu; Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, and several other Nigerian business mogul have joined President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, for the performance of Umrah, the lesser Islamic pilgrimage.

The presence of the prominent Nigerian business leaders alongside the President in the holy city has drawn attention, bringing together three influential figures from Nigeria’s political and business communities in a moment of religious observance.

Tinubu and Rabiu, both prominent names in Nigeria’s corporate landscape, were seen alongside the President dressed in the traditional white Ihram garments worn by Muslim pilgrims performing Umrah.

Umrah, unlike the obligatory Hajj pilgrimage, can be undertaken at any time of the year. It involves a series of religious rites in Makkah and holds profound spiritual significance for Muslims across the world.

For the Nigerian business community, the appearance of the corporate leaders alongside the President also offers a glimpse into the intersection of faith, business and public life, particularly when influential figures come together outside the usual settings of boardrooms, corporate engagements and official functions.

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The development comes as President Tinubu undertook the pilgrimage to seek divine guidance and offer prayers for Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability and progress.

According to the Presidency, the President performed the Umrah rites early Friday, October 30, at the Grand Mosque, Masjid al-Haram, where he circumambulated the Holy Ka’abah.

Speaking after completing the spiritual exercise, Tinubu described the pilgrimage as significant, linking it to his commitment to Nigeria and its people. He also expressed gratitude to Allah for the opportunity to pray for the country.

The President’s prayers reportedly centre on national harmony, security, economic prosperity and the need for Nigerians to live together peacefully.

Rabiu also used the occasion to express his hopes for the country, describing it as an honour to accompany the President on the spiritual journey. He prayed for lasting peace, unity and prosperity in Nigeria.

For Tinubu, whose Oando Group occupies a prominent position in Nigeria’s energy industry, the journey offered a departure from the familiar world of corporate leadership and business engagements. Rabiu, similarly, is a major player in the country’s industrial sector, with interests spanning manufacturing, cement and food production.

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Their appearance in Makkah alongside the President underscores the presence of leading figures from Nigeria’s private sector at an important spiritual moment for the country’s leader.

Umrah, often described as the lesser pilgrimage, is a significant act of worship in Islam. Unlike Hajj, which takes place during a specific period in the Islamic calendar, Umrah can be performed throughout the year.

President Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria next week after completing his spiritual engagements in Saudi Arabia.

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