Alkassim Muhammed Commends Governor Bala Mohammed for Constituting ATAP Visitation Panel

From Paul Orude Bauchi

A legal practitioner, Barrister Alkassim Muhammad, has commended Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, for constituting an independent visitation panel to investigate the affairs of the Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic (ATAP), Bauchi.

Muhammad described the development as a positive response by the governor to the concerns previously raised over the administration and management of the institution, saying it demonstrated that the governor had a listening ear and was willing to address grievances brought to his attention.

The lawyer, who spoke with journalists while reacting to the constitution of the panel, recalled that he had, on March 2, 2026, written to the governor on behalf of some aggrieved staff and former officials of the Polytechnic, drawing attention to allegations bordering on maladministration, financial mismanagement, abuse of office and other administrative concerns at the institution.

He said one of the major request/prayer contained in the petition was for the state government to constitute an independent visitation panel to examine the affairs of the Polytechnic and make appropriate recommendations.

According to him, the governor’s decision to constitute the panel was therefore a welcome development, particularly because the panel would provide an opportunity for the issues raised to be independently examined.

In the petition, Muhammad, acting as solicitor to Dr. Abdulmajid Jamal Abubakar, Dr. Alhaji Adamu Sa’idu and Dr. Musa Kallamu Hassan, had called for an investigation into several allegations against the management and the Governing Council of the Polytechnic.

The allegations included financial mismanagement, procurement concerns, administrative misconduct and other violations which the petitioners said required independent investigation.

The petition also requested a thorough audit of the institution’s finances and called for appropriate action against officials found culpable after investigation.

However, the allegations contained in the petition remain allegations and have not been established as facts. 

The constitution of the visitation panel provides an opportunity for the relevant issues to be examined and for the affected parties to respond to the claims.

In a statement issued on Thursday by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mukhtar Gidado, the Bauchi State Government said the panel was constituted as part of efforts to strengthen governance, accountability, academic standards and institutional development in the state’s tertiary institutions.

The government said the panel would undertake a comprehensive and objective assessment of ATAP’s administration, academic programmes, financial management, infrastructure, staff welfare and overall performance.

The seven-member panel is chaired by Professor Abdulrahman Saminu Ibrahim, a former Vice-Chancellor of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU). Other members are Professor Muazu Saidu Badara of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and a former lecturer at ATAP; Professor Isa Mohammed of ATBU.

Others are Barrister Abdulhamid Abubakar Bununu, Special Adviser on Multilateral Affairs and former Head of Administration/Head of Department, Ministry of Justice; Abdon Dalla Gin, Special Adviser on Civil Service and former Head of Service; Aliyu Abdullahi Dambam, former Auditor-General and Deputy Accountant-General; and the Director of Tertiary Education in the Ministry of Higher Education, who will serve as Secretary.

The government said the panel would engage the Polytechnic’s management, academic and non-academic staff, students, governing council and other relevant stakeholders before submitting its findings and recommendations to the Governor, who is the Visitor to the institution.

The government further said the exercise was intended to support its commitment to transforming the education sector and ensuring that tertiary institutions in the state operate efficiently, transparently and in accordance with their statutory mandates.

Reacting to the development, Muhammad said the composition of the panel was significant because of the calibre and professional backgrounds of its members.

The legal practitioner expressed optimism that the panel would conduct its assignment independently and objectively, adding that the ultimate goal should be to strengthen ATAP and ensure that the institution fulfils its mandate of providing quality technical, vocational and technological education.

The government also noted that ATAP, established under Edict No. 1 of 1988, had played an important role in producing skilled manpower for Bauchi State and Nigeria.

The visitation panel for ATAP, alongside that of Aminu Saleh College of Education, Azare, were inaugurated on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at the Conference Hall of the Deputy Governor’s Office, Government House, Bauchi.