Reps Query C’River Poly’s N600 Million Expenditure

The House of Representatives Committee on Polytechnics and Other Higher Technical Education has raised concerns over the Federal Polytechnic, Ugep, Cross River State, spending N600m on personnel salaries and overhead costs in a single budget cycle despite having only 142 students.

The polytechnic, established in 2021, employs 154 academic and non-academic staff. Chairman of the Committee, Fouad Laguda, expressed displeasure, particularly over the N38m spent on local travels.

The institution’s Rector, Edward Okey, appeared before the committee to defend its 2024 budget performance.

Okey explained that the polytechnic used its N2bn take-off grant to renovate dilapidated structures of the Ugep Community Secondary School, which served as its temporary campus.

“Our school was established in 2021. When we went to Ugep, we were supposed to start at a temporary site in the State Polytechnic called the Institute of Technology and Management, but that did not work.

“We eventually identified a site at the Ugep Community Secondary School. The buildings there had been abandoned for 25 years. Renovating those buildings took over a year,” the rector said.

He added that part of the grant was used to initiate 10 projects at the institution’s permanent site, which are currently at various stages of completion.

However, the rector highlighted the challenges of attracting students and staff to Ugep due to stigmas associated with the town.

A committee member described the spending as “wasteful” and “unsustainable,” questioning the justification for such high expenditure relative to the student population.

“Your personnel cost is nearly N500m, and overhead is N159m for just 142 students. This is unacceptable,” the member remarked.

Laguda criticised the institution’s overall budget presentation, noting, “We called schools from the South-South for oversight, and not one met expectations. We are disappointed.”

Meanwhile, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics, on Tuesday, expressed disappointment over the Federal Government’s delay in paying November salaries to employees of federal polytechnics and related institutions nationwide.

In a statement signed by its National President, Philip Ogunsipe, SSANIP highlighted the severe financial hardship caused by the delay amidst the prevailing economic challenges in the country.

“Timely salary payments are not just essential but critical for the sustenance of our members and their families. This unwarranted delay has imposed severe financial hardships, further exacerbating the already difficult living conditions faced by Nigerian workers,” Ogunsipe stated.

The union attributed the delay to ongoing payroll system migration from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System across tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

According to SSANIP, the transition, initially expected to be smooth, has been marred by inefficiencies.

“There has been no transfer of staff records to facilitate the migration, and essential human capital required to oversee this process remains unfulfilled, leaving institutions in disarray,” the statement noted.

SSANIP called on the Minister of Finance and the Accountant-General of the Federation to address the issue urgently, urging them to reassure increasingly agitated workers.