Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration says plans are underway to get the National Board for Technical Education to restore the accreditation of the Abia State Polytechnic within 30 days.
Mr Ikpeazu announced the sacking of the institution’s governing council on Thursday.
Specifically, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Eze Chikamnayo disclosed on Thursday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the Abia State Executive Council meeting at the Government House in Umuahia.
The NBTE on Tuesday announced the withdrawal of the polytechnic’s accreditation. The board hinged its action on the outstanding 30 months’ arrears of staff salaries Mr Ikpeazu failed to pay.
The development came barely two months after the Nigerian Universities Commission also withdrew the accreditation to the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba, over alleged “inadequacies.”
Mr Chikamnayo explained that the government would interface with NBTE, the school’s authorities, students and stakeholders in order to resolve the crisis.
He claimed that NBTE’s withdrawal of the polytechnic’s accreditation came to Mr Ikpeazu’s government as a shock.
“Since the inception of this government in 2015, a N90 million subvention has been given to the institution every month, amounting to N7.1 billion. At a point, the state government gave a N1 billion bailout fund to the institution,” said the commissioner.
He added, “This is an institution that receives school fees, levies and caution fees. Therefore, it is expected that it will be able to pay salaries and allowances of staff. Their problem stems from poor management and over staffing and whenever they are asked to downsize, the trade union would organise protests.”
He warned that disciplinary measures would be taken against the board or management of any government-owned institution that failed in its duties.
He said the government could not afford to face any form of embarrassment as a result of the ineptitude of a board or management of any such institution.
(NAN)
