ASUP Calls For Suspension of Poly Rector, Bursar in A’Ibom
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics
(ASUP), Federal Polytechnic, Ukana brach in Essien Udim Local
Government Area of Akwa Ibom State has called on the Governing Council
of the school to suspend the institution’s rector, Prof. Balama Obomanu,
and bursar, Mr. Sunday Okpo, over alleged corruption.
The union made the call in a petition
signed by the Protem Chairman Inyangetoh Jude, Protem Secretary Ariye
Anthony, and made available to newsmen in Uyo Tuesday.
The union particularly accused the two
officers of the school of making illegal deductions from staff salaries
and refusal to pay full salary for more than two years.
Speaking on the issue, the union’s
chairman accused the rector of refusing to pay the yearly step increment
in salary for more than two years; deliberate refusal to release
monthly pay slips to workers for more than two years; abuse of
procurement processes in executing capital projects; failure to provide
electricity on campus daily, as well as embezzlement of internally
generated revenue and overhead releases.
In the petition, the union also alleged
that the rector appointed an unqualified person as director of
works/physical planning; introduced ghost workers in the nominal roll of
the polytechnic contract staff; inability to secure a single course
accreditation after three years of running the polytechnic, and
non-payment of 28 days allowance benefit to workers recruited in July
2015.
“Award of TETFUND projects to cronies
without due process; deliberate attempt to stop the formation and
existence of ASUP in the polytechnic; deliberate attempt to browbeat and
victimise leaders and members of ASUP in the polytechnic and undermine
the process of free elections in ASUP.
“Misappropriation of approved personnel
cost for purposes other than the full payment of staff salaries;
fraudulent deduction of average sum of N743,328 per month from staff
salaries (from January 2017 to May 2017) in the name of NHIS, whereas
the polytechnic and its staff had yet to formally register for the
programme.
“Placement of Mr. Vincent A. Chukwuma (a
fresher with no cognate experience) on salary grade level 14/2 and
subsequent promotion and appointment of same person as acting director
of physical planning/works, in sheer breach of extant Public Service
Rules and the Polytechnic Act; deliberate refusal to implement the
recommended and approved polytechnic salary structure for all staff.
“Fraudulent parade of the different sets
of nominal rolls, one that meets the expectations of government and
NBTE and the other for defrauding members of staff; whereas available
record shows that the polytechnic receives more than N2m as monthly
overhead cost, the rector and the bursar claim they are only given a
paltry N600,000 per month,” the petition read.
In a similar vein, youths from Ukana
Ikot Ntuen, host community to the polytechnic, have protested the
continued stay of the rector in the institution, noting that the
continuous stay of the rector in the institution is calamitous.
The rector, while reacting to the
allegations, said as a rector of the institution he does not have power
to do things on his own without approval from different stakeholders of
the polytechnic.
He said: “All those things are not true;
the school cannot be run like a private property, because I do not
initiate or finalise things.
“There are processes that are involved
that had been established by the federal government on how schools are
run. We have management; we hold management meetings; we have academic
board; we have council and hold council meetings.
“As I speak with you now, we are holding
the sixth council meeting. So, there is no way I would have sat and
take decisions on my own; I am not above the council to take decisions
alone. Decisions are conveyed to council for ratification.
“When they say we do not have a single
accreditation, it is wrong. We have two programmes running and they are
due for full accreditation this year.
“The year has not gone yet. It is after 2018, you begin to raise fears
whether the programme will be accredited or not. We are going to have
accreditation exercise on May 24.”
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