The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Poly

  • A poly’s tortuous road to peace

    A poly’s tortuous road to peace

    After a two-month rift between the management and the workers’ union, which paralysed academics at the Federal Polytechnic in Ado-Ekiti (ADO POLY), the institution has come alive again. TEMITOPE YAKUBU (ND II Quantity Surveying) reports.

    After the Yuletide break, students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti (ADO POLY) looked forward to returning to school on January 5, but this was not to be. But on the day the school re-opened, workers’ protested demanding the removal of the Rector, Dr Theresa Akande.

    Among others, the protesters accused the polytechnic management of failing to implement CONTISS 15 as directed by the Federal Government. They also alleged that the school did not remit staff contributions to cooperative societies. The alleged non-refund of pension deducted from contract and casual workers’ pay.

    But, the Rector denied it all, accusing the workers of having a hidden agenda. Dr Akande urged the protesters to wait for the outcome of investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to which the workers sent petitions.

    Dr Akande said her administration followed due process in its financial dealings, urging the workers to embrace dialogue.

    The disagreement between the management and the workers paralysed academics for more than 60 days. Students’ appeal to the warring parties did not yield results. Students took to the streets, calling for a resolution of the crisis and the re-opening of the school.

    The protest was hijacked by the Ekiti-axis of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), which claimed that the Students’ Union Government (SUG) leadership had compromised.

    The SUG president, Oladapo Ajibola, denied doing the management’s bidding, saying the union was making efforts to ensure a quick resolution of the disagreement. The protest turned violent as riot policemen were called in to disperse the students.

    The polytechnic authorities consequently shut down the school indefinitely.

    The Governing Council, after an emergency meeting, suspended staff and students’ unions indefinitely and directed workers to resume or be sacked.

    Sir Victor Ebomoyi, the Council chairman, said the decision was taken after a review of the activities of the staff unions, which had disrupted activities in the school in the last three years. The management also froze the unions’ accounts.

    The workers under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) urged their members to disregard the council’s directive, saying the management had no right to proscribe unions on campus.

    The unions dragged the Council and the management before a Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti over the suspension of their activities.

    Penultimate Friday, the Council rescinded its decision, following a directive by the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau.

    Ebomoyi said the decision was in obedience to the minister’s directive. He advised the unions’ leadership to heed the minister’s directive to keep the school in session before the 2015 general elections, while negotiation continued on the thorny issues.

    Last Thursday, students disrupted the ASUP and SSANIP congresses on campus. The angry staff accused the management of sponsoring the disruption. But Oladapo said the protest was to appeal to the parties to resolve the matter amicably in students’ interest.

    SSANIP suspended its strike; but ASUP deferred its congress till Friday, calling on its members to resume work last Monday. The SUG wrote a letter of apology to the workers’ unions for disrupting their congresses.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the workers’ unions agreed to suspend the their action, following a peace meeting with the Supervising Minister of Labour and Productivity, Taminu Turaki in Abuja.

    When CAMPUSLIFE visited the school last Monday, the campus was bubbling with activities. Lectures were on.

    A lecturer, who spoke with our reporter on condition of anonymity, said lecturers had given their commitment to the management to teach students till after the elections.

    Aanuoluwa Omodara, a Quantity Surveying student, said she was excited about the development. “Examination starts next month, so we have a lot of things to do. My project work is not completed yet; I have a lot to do,” she said.

    Deputy Registrar for Information Ade Adeyemi-Adejolu said management would abide by the peace terms. The ASUP chairman, Tunji Owoeye said Shekarau had directed the payment of CONTISS 15 to workers in addition to resolving other issues.

  • Poly reverses unions’ suspension

    The management of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State, has reversed the suspension of workers’ unions.

    The unions are the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Polytechnics (SSANIP).

    The unions went on strike to protest unpaid allowances and other welfare issues, leading to the closure of the school on January 20 after a protest by students.

    Chairman of the Governing Council Victor Ebomoyi announced the decision to lift the suspension after its 95th statutory meeting.

    The council also reversed the order freezing the accounts of the unions.

    A statement yesterday by the Deputy Registrar (Information), Ade Adeyemi-Adejolu, said the decision was in deference to the directive of Education Minister Ibrahim Shekarau.

    Ebomoyi said the council’s decision was hinged on the minister’s directive that it would engender the return of peace and normalcy for full academic activities.

  • Poly gets emergency and trauma complex

    The Federal Polytechnic in Bida (BIDA POLY), Niger State has inaugurated a multi-million naira Emergency and Trauma Complex built by the institution  with National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to improve medical service on the campus.

    The NHIS Executive Secretary, Dr Femi Thomas, the Chairman of the institution’s Governing Council, Chief Theophilus Bamigboye, Rector, Mr Abdullahi Sule, and representative of the Etsu Nupe, were among those who attended the event.

    The complex, which was also funded by Tiship and Drug, is equipped with a digital X-ray and ultra-sound facilities to handle severe emergency cases.

    Other facilities in the complex include a cardiovascular monitoring gadget and a digitally-equipped conference unit with Internet facility to download medical information.

    Dr Thomas, represented by the NHIS Director Programmes, Mr Jonathan Eke, praised the institution’s management for its stride in quality healthcare delivery, noting that the commissioning of the complex showed a mark of good leadership.

    The NHIS official said the project was a bold initiative by the management, urging the polytechnic authorities to spend unutilised funds to further equip the centre.

    Thomas pledged to co-operate with the school to ensure the centre delivered quality healthcare services to students.

    Bamigboye hailed the NHIS for supporting the project. He challenged the polytechnic’s Medical Director and staff to ensure maintenance of the complex. He said his vision was to ensure the transformation of the polytechnic better than he met it, stressing that the management would continue to train its staff on service delivery.

    Sule described the trauma centre as gift to the polytechnic and its host community. He praised the Governing Council for giving him support and free hand to embark on the project.

    The Medical Director, Dr Abdulmalik Mustapha, said: “The mission of the trauma centre is to provide excellent healthcare services to the staff, families, students and members of the school community.”

    He added that the medical centre received commendation letters from the council for judicious management of resources and improvement of healthcare services.

    Mustapha said the medical centre had been improved from a single room with a nurse in 1978 to a 21 bed centre in 2014 equipped with sophisticated medical equipment.

     

  • Group hails poly council on appointment

    Committee for Quality Education has hailed the Governing Council of the Osun State Polytechnic (OSPOLY) in Iree over the appointment of Mr Salawu Busari Moruf as the Registrar.

    In a statement signed by its co-ordinator, Mr Aanuoluwa Ifesanmi, the group praised the council for the choice of Salawu, describing it as round peg in a round hole. He said Salawu would deploy his brilliance, competence and academic qualification to raise the bar of excellence in the administration of the polytechnic.

    He said: “We congratulate the Governing Council for standing on the side of integrity with regards to the appointment of Registrar for the institution. We shall continue to monitor events unfolding in the institution and lend our voice to competence and excellence.”

    The group noted that the process of Salawu’s appointment followed the due process, dismissing the notion that the new Registrar was the council’s favourite candidate.

    He added: “It is our position that the action of faceless individuals who have been attacking the new Registrar in the media was needless. The new Registrar is capable. He had a Second Class (Upper Division) in English Language and a Master’s in Counselling Psychology at the Obafemi Awolowo University.

    The group also praised  Governor Rauf Aregbesola for allowing giving the council to appoint the best man.

  • Poly inducts freshers

    The Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo in Ondo State has inducted no fewer than 2,000 students for the 2014/2015 academic session.

    The 22nd Matriculation was held at the institution’s Sport Complex, where parents and guardians of the freshers gathered to witness the ceremony.

    The Acting Rector, Mr Idowu Ologunagba, congratulated the freshers on their admission, promising that his administration would sustain the stable academic calendar. He advised the students to be law-abiding and to conduct themselves with a deep sense of responsibility at all times.

    Ologunagba enjoined them to imbibe dialogue to press home their demands, rather than taking laws into their hands.

    The Rector assured them that management would continue to provide conducive environment and good facilities to aid their learning, noting that plans were on to provide more infrastructure for students’ comfort.

    He reassured the students of his commitment to enforce the existing ban on sale of handout by lecturers and to sustain the discipline among staff and students.

    The students took the oath administered by the Registrar. Some of them, who spoke with CAMPUSLIFE, promised to obey the rules and regulation of the school.

  • ‘Poly crisis not yet over’

    The crisis rocking the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, is far from over, the major unions of the institution said yesterday.

    They faulted the claim by the management that normalcy has returned to the polytechnic, following a meeting between the Rector, Dr. Theresa Akande, and some workers. The rector promised to pay all the outstanding check-off dues.

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP) are locked in a battle with the management over issues of check-off dues and implementation of CONTISS 15, among others.

    SSANIP Chairman Dr. Oluwole Ayeni said: “It is quite unfortunate that the rector is telling the public that the crisis has been resolved when she is yet to address all issues raised against her. We have said that we have no personal scores to settle with her.

    “Nobody can call the workers back except the unions, because we declared the strike in the first place.

    “The truth is there is stalemate in the polytechnic. Even, the students are not happy because when the rector told to resume there was no provision for academics.”

  • The matter of Osun Poly registrar

    SIR: It has become very necessary for me to lend my voice to the current unwarranted controversy trailing the appointment of the Registrar of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree.

    As an alumnus, I watched, with keen interest, the process of the appointment of the registrar and I have taken time off to weigh the contending issues.

    I realised that the Governing Council of the Polytechnic stands on the side of the truth and integrity on the matter. The Council acted in the best interest of maintaining the positive image of the Polytechnic by appointing a man of integrity, knowledge and experience to the post.

    Therefore, there is need to put an end to this needless controversy. From my independent findings, I realised that the process of the appointment followed the due process and that there is no dispute over the certificate of the officer who is a product of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

    The new registrar possesses a Second Class Upper Degree in English Language in 1989 from OAU, Ile-Ife. He is also a member of many professional bodies such as Nigerian Institute of Management and

    Chartered Institute of Arbitrators of Nigeria.

    It is embarrassing to read in the newspapers the man was not qualified to hold the position.

    It is pertinent to note that Osun State is lucky to have a meticulous governor, Rauf Aregbesola who is always painstaking in handling issues. The governor, who is a catalyst of change and an apostle of integrity would not open his eyes and allow corruption under his watch. I congratulate the Council, once again, for the courage to toe the path of honour despite intimidations by some cabals.

    I appeal to those faceless individuals sponsoring unjustified write-ups in the newspapers against the registrar to desist and allow peace to reign at OSPOLY so that those of us carrying the certificates of the polytechnic would not be subjected to further ridicule in our places of work.

     

    • Hameed Oyegbade

    Osogbo, Osun State

     

  • Poly students hail end of dispute

    Poly students hail end of dispute

    They are happy to be back, after a protracted industrial dispute kept them away from the classroom for over two weeks.

    Upon their return, students of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba  immediately registered their pleasure by thanking the institution’s management and the three industrial unions in the institution for resolving the dispute.

    Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, and non-academic Staff Union of Polytechnics in the polytechnic had downed tools over non-payment of wage bills and arrears of salary which resulted in industrial action by various unions to demand their pay.

    It was gathered that the staff of the institution took the decision to withdraw their services after efforts to get the attention of the state government over their plight failed to yield any fruit.

    While the strike lasted, the students suffered, especially whose second semester exams were shifted indefinitely until the internal bickering was resolved.

    Some students who spoke to our reporter during the strike described it as a blessing in disguise because it gave them the opportunity to revise their books and, for some, to make some money with which to complete payment for their school fees to enable them write exams with other students.

    Our reporter who visited the school discovered that except for some of the administrative offices that were attending to prospective Corps members who were in the school for their call-up letter, the school was deserted.

    Drivers plying the Aba-Owerri Road also had low patronage during the strike period as the popular and busy Abia Poly Bus Stop, opposite the school was uncharacteristically scanty.

    An announcement on one of the local stations informed the students and the general public of  the resumption of academic activities of the school.

    That heartened the students as well as business owners around  the school. They had recorded very low patronage while the dispute lasted.

    When our reporter visited the school on Monday, students were seen in clusters discussing the strike while some others were in their classrooms having lectures. Some others spotted at some of the business centres in and around the school were making frantic efforts to print out and submit their assignments.

    Some of the students who spoke to our reporter on the strike, including Chigozie Okoro, said that they were happy over the decisions of the three industrial union chapters in the school decided to call off the strike.

    They also called on the acting rector, Prof. Uche Ikonne and the state government to urgently address some of the issues that led to the lecturers’ strike, stressing that another industrial action in the school would mean a total collapse of academic activities in the school.

    An ND II student who spoke anonymously, while lamenting on the negative impact of the strike on her, expressed hope that the scheduled exam which starts on Monday next week (Nov.17) would not be interrupted for any reason.

    The acting chairman of ASUP, Abia Polytechnic branch, Mr. Godswill Uma could not be reached, but a senior member of the union who spoke confidentially told our reporter that they still owed four months’ (July, August, September and October) salary arrears.

    On why the unions suspended the strike, the source said, “Well, we all are aware of what happened before now. Giving that the problem was inherited by the acting rector that he was able to pay us June Salary, while some of our members arrears up to May has been cleared, within the few weeks he (Ikonne) resumed office as the rector, we decided to give him the benefit of the doubt to call off the strike because he equally promised us that he is going to gradually offset the outstanding salary arrears.

    “I am sure that if he fails to fulfill his promises, we won’t have any option than to embark on another strike. It is the only option that we have to press home our demand. I learnt that before the strike, the Precious Nwakodo’s administration had written several letters to the state government, but no attention was given to them not until we decided to down tool. Yes, it is not in the interest of the students, but even the Bible that you and I read tells us that every good and faithful worker deserves his or her wages. We have worked and we deserved to be paid. We have families to cater for; we pay house rents. Some of us are breadwinners in our families and so, you don’t expect us to teach on empty stomach. Nobody is happy going on strike and if salaries were paid, I assure you that none of us would contemplate going on strike.

    “They just paid me my June salary and we are in November. December is fast approaching and we don’t know what providence has for us yet. We are not talking of increment in salary. What we are asking for is to pay us the salary of the number of months we have worked.”

    A release signed by the Secretary to the state government, Mkpa Agu Mkpa had suspended the then Abia Poly rector Sir Allwell Onukaogu and his Arochukwu College of Education Technology counterpart Christian Nwanmuo.

  • ‘Varsities, poly can address power problem’

    Nigeria’s epileptic power supply can be fixed by tertiary institutions in the country, provided the Federal Government gives them the wherewithal, says a professor of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Claudius Awosope.

    Delivering the 36th inaugural lecture of Covenant University (CU), Ota, Awosope noted that almost all polytechnics and universities in the country run accredited programmes in Electrical Engineering, which he believes can help to find solution to the nation’s enormous power problem.

    Awosope said the first step in this direction is for government to put an expert at the helms of affairs.

    He said: “Nigerian engineers are among the best in the world, but due to politics of appointing a political figure as the head of parastatal, they generally lose interest in the system. This is because competent engineers have seen it as a way of relegating them and their contributions to the industry in the background. This has dampened their enthusiasm at developing ingenious maintenance approach for effective and efficient running of power industry.

    “Most of these non professionals do not appreciate the essence of engaging in routine maintenance and employment of fresh graduates into the industry. This portends a very dangerous signal in the sense that there is imminent crisis of generation gap being created by this kind of policy. That means when the older generation of engineers is retiring, there would not be enough tested hands to take over from them.”

    Considering the indispensability of power to economic survival, Awosope recalled how the Federal Government unbundled the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) into 18 companies, with the purpose of improving the nation economically and technologically through consistent power supply.

    As lofty as this initiative was, he lamented that factors such as poor maintenance of electricity equipment, non-replacement of obsolete ones, reckless consumption of power by Nigerians, politicisation of the sector, as well as poor motivation of workers among others, have constituted a setback.

    “Maintenance is a complex task that influences several other factors in the industry, ranging from aging of equipment to availability of service which translates to adequate return on investment. Due to lack of regular training, the human factor accounts for a great deal of the power sector’s current debilitating condition. This is aggravated by unavailability of specialised engineers and technicians for certain tasks as well as unpreparedness of the industry to pay equitable amount as hazard allowance and insurance policy attached to workers.”

    Awosope who is Deputy Dean, School of Applied Engineering, College of Engineering at CU, also sought regular training for practicing engineers because of the dynamic nature of the profession.  This, he argued, will equip workers to face new challenges in the field and how such can be tackled in line with challenges in the 21 century.

     

  • Dance contest thrills poly students

    Hundreds of students trooped to the Aluta ground of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa (OFFA POLY) to witness the maiden edition of Xceptional Dance Marathon (XDM) organised by Jennifer Umeh, a ND II Mass Communication student and CAMPUSLIFE reporter.

    The show was to promote students values, bond and sportsmanship. Many students showed interest to participate in the show. About 50 students were initially admitted to take part in the dance marathon but they were shortlisted 10. The successful dancers thrilled their colleagues in the grand finale, with songs and dance steps.

    Remilekun Olayioye was declared the winner of the marathon dance. She was presented with standing fan, DVD player, a pack of Indomie and free slot to partake in WAZOBIA Dress Competition.

    Yusuf Olaoye, who clinched the second position, also went home with a DVD player, a cartoon of noodles and a free slot to participate in the dress contest.

    Mutolib Hussein came third and was rewarded with an Indomie pack and a free slot to participate in the dress contest.

    The union president, Festus Adedeji, described the dance marathon as an effective platform for students to showcase their abilities. He urged students not to hide their talents but use them to improve the lots of the people around them.

    The host, Jennifer, said the Xceptional Magazine crew was commitment to discover students’ talents and position them for ventures that would make them grow and network among students.

    Remilekun hailed the organiser, describing the show as innovative.