Crisis is brewing at the Abia State Polytechnic, Aba as the local chapter of the Association of Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) has called on the Rector of the institution, Sir Allwell Onukaogu to settle the six months arrears of salary owed workers.
The lecturers who boycotted the ongoing ASUP national strike on the understanding that their salaries would soon be paid by the Onukaogu, were said to be angry that the management has continued to deceive them over the payment of salaries.
According to an official of the Union who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the Rector is the cause of the problem in the Polytechnic. We were last paid salaries on February 2013. The Rector has always failed to keep his promise of settling the salary arrears. Due to the understanding the union had with the management, we did not join the ASUP national strike because he said the governor would release our salaries if we withdraw from the strike action.
The problem is that the Rector has continued to employ more workers and opening up more departments filled with workers who are doing nothing. Most of these new departments are yet to be accredited but they have over bloated staff strength. Out of 15 new lecturers he employed in one new department, only 6 were qualified to stand before the accreditation team set up by NBTE.
These are the issues. The Rector owes 6 months salary of workers and has been employing more. He has continued to blame Gov. Theodore Orji for not releasing enough subventions to the institution.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that the Abia state polytechnic gets a monthly subvention of N25million with a wage bill of N165million. The Polytechnic is alleged to be indebted to up 7 commercial banks whom it maintains accounts with.
We are indebted to 7 banks. What the Rector does is to put students fees into the bank and collects overdraft to pay salaries. When the school account is in red, he moves over to another bank with the same style. That is why the banks can no longer guarantee us credit which we used in paying workers salaries, the source hinted.
The Rector is also alleged to have engaged a member of the local chapter of the union, Don Patrick Onwusiribe to counter the efforts of the Nkoro led union to have the salaries. The situation was said to have led to Onwusiribe convening meeting of his faction on 30th October, 2013 where the Rector addressed them.
As the rift between the Rector and the local union deepened, the National President of the Union stormed the school where he was said to have told the Rector that he should refrain from interfering in the activities of the union and make arrangements to settle the arrears of salaries owed them.
Contacted to speak on the non payment of salaries in the institution, its Public Relations Officer, Anyalewechi Chingoziri said he is not aware that the Polytechnic has been owing salaries for six months running. He accused the Chairman and Secretary of the Abia Ploy ASUP, Chris Nkoro and Precious Nwakodo, respectively of inciting lecturers against the Rector.
What I can tell you is that the tenure of the present ASUP exco has expired. They have refused to vacate office. Their union visited the Rector yesterday. I dont know if Abia Poly owes six months salaries. The Rector has even addressed the issue of salaries. So, I dont know what you are talking about. You can call the Rector.
In telephone interview with our correspondent, chairman of the Abia Poly ASUP, Chris Nkoro said the union has done its best to assist the Rector settle the problem in the institution.
The problem of Abia Poly is multi faceted. Today, our polytechnic is owing 7 banks various sums of money amounting to N1.4billion and this keeps rising because of the interest. We have proffered solutions to the Rector but he would not listen. He blames the governor but we have refused to accept this lie. We are being owed six months salaries and you keep employing workers. Our Rector has paid himself four months salary advance. Our cooperative society fund of about N74million is missing. The polytechnic has been earning N1.8million per annum as IGR including the N300million subvention form the state government.
The Rector has labeled us confusionist and trouble makers who are bent on fermenting crisis. Some of us have been receiving threats and calls from unidentified persons using pseudo names and hidden phone numbers. Abia Poly ASUP has been fined more than N7million as a result of the failed promise by management to pay the fine if we boycott the strike. During the visit of the national union to the polytechnic, he called on police not to allow us in. He has even directed the confiscation of union vehicles. The Rector is the problem, not the governor as he wants us to believe.
Nkoro lamented that the union has always yielded to several unfulfilled promises by management, even in the light of biting crunch and personal attacks, stressing that most of his members have died as a result of the situation.