‘Unethical practice’ — group faults naming public institutions after sitting president

The Network for the Actualisation of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD), a public procurement advocacy group, has faulted naming public institutions after a sitting president.

On Tuesday, the federal government approved the establishment of a federal polytechnic in Abuja to be named after President Bola Tinubu.

Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, in a letter addressed to Nyesom Wike, his federal capital territory (FCT) counterpart, on January 9, said establishing the institution is part of the ministry’s plan to ensure every state has a federal polytechnic.

However, in a statement on Wednesday, Akingunola Omoniyi, NEFGAD head of office, described the act as “extreme sycophancy, unethical, and questionable practice”.

Omoniyi said approaching a sitting president to superintend over a matter that confers monumental benefits on him while still in active service is “purely wrong”.

He added that appointees giving such honour to the president should be reminded of the code of conduct for public officers to maintain morality.

“Several appointees of the current president have named federal institutions after the president, including Southern Parkway in FCT by Nyesom Wike, an Immigration Data Center by the Head of the Nigerian Immigration Service, and most recently a federal polytechnic by Education Minister Tunji Alausa,” the statement reads.

“Similar scenario played out during the last administration of President Muhamadu Buhari when Second Niger Bridge, A federal project was named after the former president while in office.

“Beyond leadership limitations, followership elsewhere carries on their shoulders the huge responsibility of letting leaders know what is right and appropriate to do per time; hence, imposing on Mr. President such an unhealthy gesture of naming federal institutions after him shows the nature and thinking of people around him, and such should be discouraged forthwith.

“We, however, call for the reversal of such gestures in the protection and preservation of the office and reputation of the president; honouring a sitting president may create the appearance of bias, as it can be seen as a form of political favour or flattery.

“It may give the impression that the institutions so named after a political head serve political purposes rather than their intended mission.

“There is the need to maintain institutional integrity and impartiality, and it is equally opined that although a performing leader deserves his honour but admonish any institution or appointee that wishes to honour the president in such a manner to wait till after the president completes his term in office.”