The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kaduna Polytechnic

  • Reps panel promise to address funding challenge for Kaduna Polytechnic

    Reps panel promise to address funding challenge for Kaduna Polytechnic

    Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, Hon Fuad Kayode Laguda, has promised to ensure that the funding challenges of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaduna are addressed in the 2025 budget.

    He said this when he led members of the committee on oversight of the institution to find out first hand about the issues in a bid towards improving technical education in the country.

    Laguda said the main challenge the committee realized from its visit was that of funding.

    He said the oversight was aimed at learning about the issues so that arrangements can be made to accommodate them in the next budget cycle.

    He commended the Rector of the institution for the efforts despite the challenges.

    The Rector, Dr Suleiman Umaru, took the committee members on a tour of some of the projects they have carried out.

    Dr Umar, urged the Committee to help address some of its challenges which include obsolete equipment, dilapidated buildings and poor funding.

    Read Also: Tour operators urge early preparations for 2025 hajj

    He also said over 500 staff have exited since 2021 and they could not get replacements due to an embargo by the government.

    This, he said, has led to a shortage of staff for the institution.

    “Since 2021 over 500 staff have exited the services of the Kaduna Polytechnic and we are not allowed to make any recruitment.

    “We are making efforts to get the government to allow us to make replacements but are not able to succeed. So we hope the committee should help because many departments are understaffed and it would be difficult to scale NBTE accreditation if it continues this way. There’s need to replace those that have exited the institution.

    “Kaduna Polytechnic is the institution with the most national spread. So the greater the number, we need more facilities and expansion of facilities and we appeal to the committee to consider us in the budget for more projects because the school serves the whole Nigeria not just the north,” he said.

  • Reps committee order suspension of sales of Kaduna Polytechnic property

    Reps committee order suspension of sales of Kaduna Polytechnic property

    The House of Representatives Committee on Public Assets has asked the Management of Kaduna Polytechnic, the Ministry of Education and the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on government property to halt the allocation and sale of property belonging to Kaduna Polytechnic.

    The committee’s resolution followed the consideration of a petition to the House by some serving and retired staff of the polytechnic.

    Property belonging to the Polytechnic all over Kaduna, including land, staff quarters and guest houses are currently being sold to staff and non-staff of the polytechnic.

    The committee also summoned the Rector, Kaduna Polytechnic, Dr. Suleiman Umar, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Head of Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) as well as Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) in the institution to an investigative hearing.

    The Chairman of the House Committee on Public Assets, Hon  Ademorin Kuye said the specific date, time and venue for their appearance will be communicated to them.

    The polytechnic staff had alleged that most of the teaching and non-teaching staff of the polytechnic were not aware of the sales.

    Read Also: Nigeria will overcome current socio-economic challenges, says Jonathan

    The Committee said all further allocations of plots of land and staff quarters of the Polytechnic to non-staff of the school, pending the conclusion of investigation into the alleged sharp practices in the sale of the properties should be suspended.

    Hon. Kuye said the suspension becomes necessary because if most of the plots of land and houses of the school are sold to non-staff, the future lecturers and non-teaching staff will not find it easy to operate.

    “We have a lot of students who are in school now who will become staff of the Kaduna Polytechnic tomorrow. If you sell all the land and staff quarters, particularly to non-staff of the school now, where will they be tomorrow?”

    He said in the out-of-court settlement by relevant parties on the issue presented to the committee by the Presidential Implementation Committee, there was no provision for non-staff members of the school to be beneficiaries of the allocations.

    The Head of the Presidential Implementation Committee, Bala Sanusi said the agreement reached by the parties in a legal battle that lasted over ten years, led to the resolution which was approved by Kaduna Polytechnic Board, PIC and Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

    The petitioners on their part said contrary to the resolution as presented by the PIC, most of the school properties for lease were sold to non-staff while several staff members were not aware that such things were ongoing.

    Speaking on behalf of the petitioners, Dr. Omale Apochi and Isiaka Bankole said they only got information of the process on owner – occupier basis, adding that most of their colleagues were ignorant of the process.

    They alleged that despite meeting all the requirements, including payment of between N4.7 million and above, the authorities of the institution through the acting Director, Works of the Institute, Abdulrahaman Tukur, a consultant with PIC, Nura Usman and one Gimba Elisha, their plots of land were carved out and sold to non-staff of the school without remitting the proceed to government account.

    Though Abdulrahaman Usman who represented the Rector, Dr. Suleiman Umar, first denied knowing Nura Usman, he later agreed to knowing him when reminded of the implications of telling lies to the committee while on oath. 

  • KDIRS, ABU Zaria to settle N6bn tax suit out of court

    A Tax Tribunal sitting in Kaduna on Thursday granted a request by the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, to settle the 4-year long case of non-remittance of Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax, amounting to N6 billion out of court.

    The Kaduna State Board of Internal Revenue had on January 16, 2014 instituted a case against the ABU for failure to remit the PAYE tax from 2007 to 2012.

    Counsel to the revenue service, Mr Francis Kozah, prayed the tribunal, chaired by Umar Adamu, to ask the institution to pay all outstanding arrears, including interest and penalty as stated by law.

    Kozah, however, told the tribunal that ABU had earlier requested for out-of-court settlement and that the board had agreed to hear them.

    He said that the sitting was scheduled for the first week of December.

    He also informed the tribunal of the change of nomenclature from Kaduna State Board of Internal Revenue to Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KDIRS).

    This followed the passage of the Kaduna State Tax Codification and consolidation Law in 2016.

    Counsel to ABU, Mr M Garba, requested that the case be adjourned for four weeks to allow the parties sit and resolve the dispute.

    Read Also: Gov. Bagudu approves N400m for indigenous students in tertiary institutions

    Responding, the tribunal chairman regretted that the case had been on hold since January 2014 due to the non-constitution of the tribunal.

    Adamu said that if the parties failed to settle issue, the tribunal would take a decision to proceed to hear the matter.

    He then, adjourned the case to the second week of January 2019, adding that the parties would be notified of the substantive date in due course.

    Similarly, the tribunal also adjourned the case between KDIRS and Kaduna Polytechnic to December 12, over the institution’s non-remittance of PAYE to the tune of N3.4 billion to KDIRS.

    The amount was the cumulation of non-remittance of PAYE to the Kaduna State Government from 2007 to 2012.

    Counsel to Kaduna Polytechnic, Mr Andrew Nwako, appealed to the tribunal to give both parties two weeks to settle the issue out of court.

    Kozah, who represented KDIRS did not object and the chairman of the tribunal granted the request.

  • Kadpoly ASUP denies plot to remove Rector

    The Kaduna Polytechnic ( Kadpoly ) chapter of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic ( ASUP ) has said that there is no plot to unseat the Rector of the institution, Professor Idris Bugaje; saying the union only gave the management a 21 working days ultimatum to meet its demands.

    Reacting to an online publication which says the Union was planning to remove the Rector of the institution, the spokesperson of the union, Abbas Muhammad explained that the Union’s Congress of April 17, 2018 only gave the management a 21 working days ultimatum to meet it’s demands for improved welfare.

    “There was never a time when removal of the Rector was contemplated. The claim by the publication that the issue has divided the union is false and baseless. ASUP Kadpoly under the leadership of Dr. Aliyu Hassan Ibrahim is intact and on same page on the need to work with the management to turn around the fortunes of the Polytechnic and any theory of division is just an imagination of some few individuals who are not comfortable with the peace witnessed in the institution,”

    The union therefore called on the general public to disregard the false publication which be described as an attempt to cause industrial disharmony in the polytechnic and create a rift between the Union and the management.  

    The chairman of the union, Dr. Aliyu H. Ibrahim also reiterated that there was never an attempt to remove Professor Bugaje, saying, “All we are demanding is purely improved welfare for our members,” he said.

  • Kadpoly ASUP suspends 7 weeks strike

    Kadpoly ASUP suspends 7 weeks strike

    Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) in Kaduna Polytechnic (Kadpoly)has suspended its seven weeks old strike.

    The students of the institution were writing their second semester examination when their lecturers decided to down tool.

    Chairman of the union, Dr. Aliyu Ibrahim confirmed the suspension of the strike to newsmen in his office on Tuesday saying that, the suspension followed the resolution of the emergency congress of 17th October, 2017.

    According to him, “following the resolution of the emergency congress of 17th October, 2017, the seven weeks old strike has been suspended.

    Read: LAUTECH: ASUU Suspends Strike

    “Therefore, members are called upon to immediately resume their normal academic activities”.

    He further clarified that, the suspension is for a period of six months after which a congress would be reconvened on 17th April, 2018 to reassess the memorandum of understanding between the management and the union.

    ASUP has opted for industrial action in August this year to press home its demands bothering on improved welfare package and conducive working environment from the management team of the federal Polytechnic.

    Read Also: Kadpoly ASUP begin indefinite strike

  • Kadpoly ASUP begin indefinite strike

    Kadpoly ASUP begin indefinite strike

    Kaduna Polytechnic branch of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics ( ASUP ), on Friday commenced an indefinite strike over welfare issues and decayed infrastructure.

    Publicity Secretary of the chapter, Abbas Muhammad, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview that the action was taken following alleged failure of the polytechnic’s management to respect earlier agreements.

    “We resumed the earlier suspended strike following a unanimous congress decision by the academic staff of the institution demanding the management to immediately address their demands,” Muhammad said.

    He added, “the latest face-off between the academic union and the Kaduna Polytechnic management is coming on the heels of an emergency congress presided by the unions General Secretary, Dr Talatu Umar.

    “The ASUP members resolved to suspend all academic activities, with a passionate call on the government, general public and all stakeholders to prevail on the management to do the needful so as to ensure timely resolution of the problems,” the official said

    According to him, the latest agitation followed the failure of the management to resolve any of the issues before it since the suspension of an earlier strike on July 18, 2017.

    Muhammad said that the agreement reached at the time was to meet the teachers demand within three months after the strike’s suspension.

    The ASUP spokesman listed some of the issues in contention to include poor working condition, irregular academic calendar and lack of consumables for laboratory practicals.

    “Others are, inadequate amenities and conveniences, lack of recreational facilities, inadequate offices and furniture and the perennial lack of transparency in withholding of funds related to staff allowances”.

  • Kaduna Polytechnic ASUP begins indefinite strike

    Kaduna Polytechnic ASUP begins indefinite strike

    The Kaduna Polytechnic Academic Staff Union (ASUP) has embarked on an indefinite strike over what it called misappropriation of N260 million and non-payment of five months peculiar academic and hazard allowance arrears.
    Resolution of ASUP congress meeting held on Friday and signed by its Chairman, Dr. Aliyu H. Ibrahim, said the level of impunity, corruption and direct stealing of public funds in Kaduna Polytechnic is alarming.
    The union therefore stated that, it will not call off the strike until the five months arrears of peculiar academic and hazard allowance are paid.
    ASUP also demanded that the former Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr. Mohammed Bello Ibrahim, and Bursar, Malam Sani Sahabi Bodinga, be brought to book.
    According to the congress resolution statement, “the situation in Kaduna Polytechnic is dire and the time to act is now, the level of impunity, corruption and direct stealing of public funds in Kaduna polytechnic is alarming and ASUP (a pressure group) which is usually shortchanged alongside the student whose finances were diverted for personal use instead of infrastructure and educational development of our dear institution would remain the voice of the people.
    “What led to the declaration of the indefinite strike include the following: Non-payment of peculiar academic and hazard allowance arrears after the sum of N173, 979, 898.00 was paid to the management of Kadpoly in March and N86, 989,949.00 in May, 2016.
    “Misappropriation of fund – N260, 969,847.00 2016 shortfall was used to pay 25% of December 2015 salary to the tune of N92, 119,439.50. Misappropriation of fund – TETFund N36m construction fund was removed from TETFund dedicated account and transferred to other charges to pay local contractors.
    “December 2015 salary was paid in 4 installments of 24.9%, 25.1%, 25% and 25% respectively over a period of two months N67m of December 2015 salary is yet to be fully paid in terms of cooperative deductions, tax remittances, church and mosques deductions, etc” it said.