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Tag: Abia State Polytechnic

  • Abia poly workers protest 11months unpaid salary arrears

    Academic activities were on Monday grounded at the Abia State Polytechnic Aba, the commercial nerve of the party state as Staff and students of the institution held a peaceful protest against 11 months unpaid salary arrears.

    The demonstration which took place at the main entrance of the Polytechnic along Aba-Owerri expressway caused serious gridlock as the protesting staff and their students brandished placards with inscriptions such as “Mr. Rector pay me my 11 months salary”.

    In an interview the president Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics ( SSANIP ), Abia State Chapter, Comrade Nwachukwu Chucks accused the polytechnic management of punishing them and their families by allegedly using the subventions released to them by the state government for workers salaries to pay contractors handling projects in the state.

    Abia State Polytechnic workers protest

    “This morning, we are kick-starting our industrial actions to drive home our demand for the payment of our unpaid 11 months’ salary. We were last paid in April 2017. 

    “Since April 2017, no worker in Abia Poly has received any money as salary. Our union due for 14 months which was deducted from source was not remitted to the union. The management converted it into private use. 

    “Also cooperatve dues which were also deducted from members salaries were also converted by the same management into their own use.

    “The most annoying part of all these issues is that the Abia State government graciously gave 2months subventions of the Paris Refund to the management of this institution, but instead of them to use it to pay suffering workers, they resulted to be using the money to pay contractors handling projects within the school. Money meant for our salary was converted by this present management into what they want to use to pay contractors simply because they want their cut of it.

    “We have been patient enough. After sending notice to the management, instead of them to respond to the issue they resulted to the use of violence and intimidation. They used the money that could have been used as part of salaries to invite the army. Will the Army drive the hunger in our stomachs? Will they bring back our children who are out of school back to school? Most of us have been ejected out of their houses by their landlords.

    “We can’t pay our medical bills and yet we work every day in this polytechnic.  We are saying no. It’s either they pay us or , or we stop working. We are using this opportunity to call the state government to do something serious. 

    “One is to release more money to clear off more backlogs of our salaries; two is to prove this present management to ascertain how they have been managing this school since 2017 that they were appointed.”

    The Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics ( ASUP ), Comrade Umah Godswill said that the polytechnic’s management has refused to pay them even after the Third Trench of the Paris Refund by the federal government.

    “The worst part of it is that we notified them that we are going on industrial action this morning instead of them to respond in a good way, they brought Hilux of Soldiers to cover the entire school. Tell me, what are soldiers doing in this academic environment? They want to use that to molest and intimidate us. This action has made us angry. I took the Rector to House of Assembly and over there; he openly said that the government is doing good, that they have released all the subventions to the institution to the tune of January this year. So, why are we been owed? We are here on the streets to let the public know that we are fade up. We are frustrated. We are not going to work again.”

    Some of the students who were in solidarity with the lecturers, called on the state government to intervene and save their academics which would suffer because of the strike.

    According to Princess, a Final Year Student of Public Administration, “This is 11 months and our lecturers have not been paid. We have paid our schools fees, our departmental fees and every other necessary bill they demanded from us yet, they cannot pay our lecturers. 

    “This is very unfair. Almost All the students have paid their fees and still they’ve not been paid. They’ve been teaching us since this semester. 

    “They’ve got families too. We are supposed to be writing our exams, but we cannot do that now because they are going on strike. Please let them pay them. Let them call them to round table and discuss. Let the state government do something. Our exams ought to start on 22nd and with this strike now; we are back to sitting at home and hoping for help. This is unfair.”

  • ASUP urges Abia to pay poly staff

    ASUP urges Abia to pay poly staff

    ABIA State Polytechnic Aba, has hosted delegates of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) for its 89th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

    Though the attendees discussed the affairs of the union, the occasion was also an opportunity for  the national body to call on the state government to clear the salary arrears owed their members in the state polytechnic.

    The Nation learnt that majority of the workers were yet to receive salaries in the past seven months, a situation many of the workers said has made life excruciatingly difficult for them.

    The National Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics in Nigeria, Comrade Usman Yusuf Dutse, in a speech, called on Abia State government and management of the Abia State Polytechnic to pay workers of the polytechnic their arrears of salaries.

    Dutse who was on the visit with other members of Council of National Officers of ASUP, noted that staff of the institution could be more productive if they were paid promptly.

    He said that the choice of Abia Poly as the venue for the NEC meeting was deliberate and timely as they wanted to use the opportunity to show solidarity with the institution chapter who were being owed for about nine months arrears of salaries.

    He stressed that regular payment of workers’ salaries motivates them to work hard.

    ASUP national chairman, who said that he was visiting the school 10 after his initial visit, noted that the school was ripe for expansion and called for the release of 2014 promotion lists of staff which he said was long overdue.

    He used the opportunity to laud the cordial relationship existing between the management and staff of the school and called for the confirmation of members of the management who have been on acting capacity since February they were appointed by the state governor.

    Responding, the acting rector, Abia State Polytechnic, Prof. Eboh assured that efforts were on by the management of the instruction and the state government to ensure that staff members of the polytechnic were paid their arrears of salaries.

    Abia Poly rector who described the polytechnic as one of the best in the country said that the management on assumption of office in February 2017 met backlog of salary arrears from July 2016 till January this year which they were gradually paying off, adding that as part of the commitment of the management to offset the huge backlog, stated that between the month of April and June, they (management) were able to pay their workers five months arrears of salaries.

    According him, the institution have been able to receive from the state government N680m subvention since he assumed office, but regretted that the effect of the present economic crunch being faced by the country became a setback to the inflow of funds to the polytechnic.

    The rector who thanked the staff of the institution especially the leadership of the ASUP AbiaPoly chapter for showing understanding with the management promised that the 2014 promotion lists of staff would soon be out, stating that the management has been running transparent and open door policy since they assumed leadership.

    He also disclosed that work had already commenced at the permanent site of the campus located off Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway where more facilities including student hostels and among educational and recreational facilities would be introduced for a better academic growth of the students.

    He added that to save the institution from wastages, the management had plugged some of the identified areas through which individuals siphon the institution’s funds in the past, adding that internal mechanism have been put in place to ensure that anyone that engages in fraudulent would be fished out.

  • Abia Poly marks culture day

    Abia Poly marks culture day

    On September 1, students, staff and the entire Abia State Polytechnic community, clad in their traditional outfits, took advantage of the public holiday declared by the federal government to gather on the grounds of the polytechnic to mark the 2017 edition of the institution’s culture day.

    The event lasted about five hours, with spectators glued to their seats as they were entertained with various dance steps. Students from different ethnic groups paraded their cultural troupes and masquerades to the admiration of the crowd. A representative of the Minister of Information and Culture and members of the institution’s management team were in the audience.

    The event owed a lot to the initiative of a former rector of the institution Elder Allwell Abalaogu Onukaogu, who is determined to fight the decline of the Igbo culture and language.

    The President of Abia Poly Student Union Government (SUG), Comrade Igwe Samuel described Nigeria’s cultural heritage as important and must be protected by all, stressing that the day presented the students the message that they need to have spirit of unity, love and tolerance among themselves in order to live and work together to make Nigeria a better place to live.

    Samuel, who admitted that Nigeria’s culture was gradually fading away, noted that it was important that as students, they needed to combine education with culture to support the efforts of government and other stakeholders in ensuring that the cultural heritages and values of the people won’t fade away going by the way the youths were embracing foreign cultures.

    He said, “As we celebrate our culture today, it reminds us of ourselves and takes us away from the western lifestyle we have come to embrace; neo-colonialism and want from things outside the shores of Nigeria had gone deep in us…Let us ensure that we promote unity amongst students and fight to preserve Nigeria’s culture against the rampaging Western culture. We must also encourage our children to speak our various mother tongues fluently.

    “You might not know the value of something until it is taken away from you. It might interest you to know that a lot of Westerners come over to (Nigeria) celebrate our culture. Nigeria’s culture is worth celebrating, but it is unfortunate that, we Nigerians don’t celebrate our own culture,” lamented Samuel.

    The minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed while addressing the audience, urged students and parents to embrace their respective indigenous languages and cultures.

    Mohammed who was represented at the event by Mr. Uche Idika Kalu, the curator of National Museum of Colonial History, Aba lamented the way people were abandoning their cultural heritage.

    The information minister who also expressed worries over the way people were running against their customs and traditions said that events like the cultural day celebration reminds people of the importance and the need to promote the people’s cultures and traditions.

    Describing Igbos as people who are highly industrious and hospitable, the information minister used the opportunity to condemn the rate of quest for materialism especially among the youths.

    He, however, called for patience and hard work, stressing that anyone who tries to be faster than his creator in life or tried to acquire  wealth through ill-gotten means will end up in regret.

    The rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. Friday Ezionye Eboh described the event as important and one that rekindles in the mind of the students and adults as well the spirit of promoting their cultures and traditions regardless of any environment that they found themselves.

    Eboh who was optimistic that the Igbo culture will not die in the near future stated that the school decided to mark the annual cultural festival to help promote different Nigerian cultural heritages and traditions of various Nigerian ethnic groups.

    He urged parents to join hands with the school and other stakeholders in the campaign to ensure that customs and traditions of various ethnicities in the country continue to exist despite the challenges posed by westernization to our cultural values and heritages.

  • Embrace local culture, minister urges students

    The Minister of Information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has urged students and parents to embrace their local languages and cultures.

    Mohammed,who was represented at the Cultural Day celebration of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba by Mr. Uche Idika Kalu, the Curator of National Museum of Colonial History, Aba, lamented that Nigerians were abandoning their cultural heritage.

    He said events like the Cultural Day celebration reminded people of the need to preserve their cultures and traditions.

    The Minister praised the Igbo for their industry and hospitality. However, he condemned the quest for materialism, especially among the youth.

    He called for patience and hard work, warning that anyone who tries to acquire wealth through  crooked means would end up in regret.

    The Rector of the polytechnic, Prof. Friday Eboh, described the event as important one.

    He said the school decided to mark the yearly cultural festival to help promote the cultural heritage of various ethnic groups in Nigeria.

    He urged parents to join the school and other stakeholders in the campaign to ensure that customs and traditions of various ethnic groups in the country continue to exist.

    Highlights of the event were various displays from various ethnic groups on the campus.

  • Abia Poly reinstates staff three months after disengagement

    Abia Poly reinstates staff three months after disengagement

    Three members of Non-Academic Staff of  Nigerian Polytechnics (NASU), Abia State Polytechnic, Aba  chapter who were recently sacked by the management of the institution over falsification of their West African School Certificate Examination (WAEC) result have reportedly being reinstated to their duty posts.

    The Nation gathered that the staffers were disengaged from service around March after a staff verification panel indicted them for certificate falsification with 15 others.

    Part of a letter of reinstatement with the heading, “Withdrawal of Letter of Dismissal from Service” which was signed by the Acting Rector of the institution, Prof. Friday Ezionye Eboh dated June 9, 2017 read “We have received another letter from WAEC showing that their earlier report on your credentials was wrong, thereby clearing you of the offence of presenting fake certificate for employment, the basis on which you were dismissed from service.

    “Management has therefore decided to withdraw our letter dismissing you from the services of the Abia State Polytechnic.

    “You are hereby reinstated to your appointment at the Abia State Polytechnic with immediate effect.”

    Some of the workers who spoke to our reporter under anonymity said that they have resumed work but were yet to be posted to a specific office and department.

    They described their reinstatement as Divine and disclosed that they were pushing for the payment of their three months’ salary arrears.

    Efforts to reach the management or acting rector, Eboh for comments failed as he is yet to respond to a text message sent to him over the matter.

     

  • Fake receipts: Abia Polytechnic recovers N43m from students

    Fake receipts: Abia Polytechnic recovers N43m from students

    Abia State Polytechnic has recovered more than N43 million from students who faked the school’s receipts, Prof. Ezionye Eboh, the Acting Rector, has said.

    Eboh, while briefing newsmen in Aba, Abia, on the latest development in the institution, said that more than 700 students were involved in the act of obtaining fake receipts from unauthorised sources.

    He said that the students would be punished, to serve as a deterrent to others.

    Eboh also said that the Police had arrested a woman who operates a business centre near the Polytechnic for allegedly issuing students with fake receipts.

    He said that the woman worked for a lecturer and that she was collecting N10,000 and issuing fake stamped receipts to the students, thereby aiding them to evade payment of N50,000 school fees.

    According to the rector, management discovered the forgery when it made it mandatory for students to show their school fee receipts before writing examinations.

    He said that the lecturer had been suspended and that the students involved in the act were being investigated.

    On the issue of the redeployment 10 nurses working in the school clinic, Eboh said that the development was due to the intervention of the governor.

    “If it was not for the intervention of Gov. Ikpeazu, we would have sacked them. But he said they should be retained but re-assigned to places where their services would be needed.”

    He said it was mind-boggling to employ such a large number of such senior nurses earning handsome salaries, in a non-residential campus.

    He said that following their redeployment, the institution was saving N34 million per annum, adding that by plugging several loopholes, the institution had paid five months of 2016 salary arrears.

    Meanwhile, the Abia Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Geoffrey Ogbonna, confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday that the name of the woman connected with the fake receipts was Caroline Augustine.

    He said that Augustine had been charged to court and also identified the owner of the business centre as Mr Alwell Nwachukwu-Njoku.

  • Don tasks media firms on business models

    Don tasks media firms on business models

    A don, Dr David Dimoji, has urged media companies to consult with ICT experts to design means of getting paid for their publications on the internet to save them from collapsing.

    Dimoji, the Dean, School of Science and Technology, Abia State Polytechnic, Aba made the call in Aba on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    The computer engineering expert said that most media companies in the country were allowing readers access to all their contents without payment.

    He said that unless the companies changed such business models, they might go bankrupt.

    “I want to see a situation where access is given only to a person who pays a token to that media house to read their publications.

    “We must give rights of protection to news publishing companies so that their news should be protected. That is how it is done all over the word.

    “Even in the academic world, there some journal articles you can only read the abstract but cannot access the full papers unless you pay some a token. Media houses should give free access to headlines and editorials and make people pay a token for other news items.

    “We cannot afford to let our media houses die. We need them seriously,” he said.

    He said that media companies needed huge finances to run and pay salaries and adding that allowing every reader free access to all their contents would ruin their business unless they changed that method.

    Dimorji expressed empathy with the media companies, saying they were now losing revenue because readers were allowed access to their products without payment.

    He said that advertisements were the means of strengthening media incomes in the past and expressed regret that the harsh economic situations had changed the scenario.

    According to him, media houses need to know how to raise money for their publications to stay afloat in the New Year.

    He said that working to improve revenue in the new year was necessary if most media companies would survive to render their selfless service to the masses who needed them desperately.