The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has threatened to seek arrest warrants against the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Sani Man Yahaya, and the institution’s Bursar, Aishat Shade Adebayo, if they fail to appear before lawmakers to address outstanding audit queries and alleged financial irregularities.
The committee gave the two officials until Monday, 19 October 2026, to explain issues relating to procurement, budget expenditure and project execution at the institution.
Its chairman, Bamidele Salam, announced the deadline on Friday after members adopted a technical committee’s report covering submissions from six tertiary institutions responding to audit queries raised by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation.
The action against the Ede Polytechnic officials followed unresolved questions in the institution’s 2021 Audit Report, findings from the committee’s South-West oversight exercise and petitions concerning the management of the polytechnic.
Salam expressed concern over what he described as repeated failures by the rector and bursar to honour invitations from the committee. He warned that the House would exercise its constitutional powers to compel their attendance if they failed to respond by the stipulated deadline.
Beyond the outstanding audit queries, lawmakers also questioned the quality of projects executed at the institution. According to the report, an inspection allegedly revealed poor workmanship and discrepancies between payments made and the work delivered.
During a physical inspection of an ongoing lecture theatre project, committee members reportedly observed substandard construction. The concrete flooring was described as so weak that inspectors could break it with their hands and feet, raising concerns about construction quality and the supervision of the project.
The committee also identified three unresolved issues in the 2021 Audit Report. These concerned an unretired cash advance, the engagement of an external solicitor without approval from the Attorney-General of the Federation, and foreign trips for which evidence of approval was reportedly unavailable.
Financial records examined by the committee raised further questions about the institution’s expenditure. While the polytechnic budgeted N110.2 million for overhead costs in 2023, its audited accounts reportedly showed expenditure of N882.5 million.
Lawmakers additionally raised concerns about N20.5 million reportedly yet to be credited to the Retirement Savings Accounts of some employees.
The deadline gives the rector and bursar an opportunity to respond to the committee’s concerns. The threatened arrest warrants would be a means of compelling their appearance if they fail to comply with the invitation. The allegations and audit queries remain matters for examination through the relevant oversight processes.
Deborah Adeyefa
