Staffs Forced To Resign as Federal Polytechnic, Ukana as Rector allegedly goes diabolic

The ongoing crisis in Federal Polytechnic, Ukana has taken a fresh twist as not less than 6 members of staff have resigned their appointment with the institution.

The staff alleged that they don’t have a future in the school, and have decided to go elsewhere for greener pastures.

Ituen Ituen Bassey, Ededet Effiong Ibio, Albert Ihandegh, Desmond Ifeanyi, David Inyang-Etoh, Abraham Yusuf, and Joshua Enyinnnaya are some of the staff who have left the institution within the space of three months.

According to some of the staff who spoke to TheMail on condition of anonymity, they resigned because of mal-administration and ineptitude of the rector and bursar of the institution.

They said for about 2 years, they were receiving less than half their salary (every month) and even when Federal Government regularized their payments, the institution’s Rector in connivance with the bursar continued to pay paltry sums as their salaries.

They said that if the urgent measures are not put in place to rescue the institution from the claws of the duo, the young polytechnic may be grounded.

The aggrieved former staff said that the institution does not have accreditation for the programs it is running, saying the NBTE gave interim accreditation for Computer Science and Statistics in 2015 which had lapsed in 2017.

Investigations by this paper reveal that the Rector failed to renew the interim accreditation or get full accreditation for the programs despite all the funding it is getting from the Federal and State governments.

The paper’s investigations reveal that the institution has received over N500m from TETFUND, about N400m worth of capital votes from the FG while the state government has contributed well over N20m to the institution in the last four years.

We learnt that the financial recklessness employed by the Rector, Prof. Balama J. Obomanu and the Bursar, Mr. Sunday. Okpo has reached a crescendo, which if left unchecked and investigated will collapse the school.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, Federal Polytechnic Ukana chapter, in a bid to save the institution had recently written a strong-worded petition to the Chairman of the Polytechnic’s Governing Council, reporting the nefarious activities of the rector and bursar.

The petition endorsed by Inyangetoh, Jude A and Ariyo Anthony as Protem Chairman and Secretary respectively. The many sins of Prof. Obamanu and Sunday Okpo include but not limited to illegal deductions from Staff salaries for more than two years now.

The duo have also been accused of deliberate placement of staff on CONPCASS 1 Step 2/CONTEDISS 7Step 2 entry level instead of the NBTE recommended CONPCASS 2 step 2/CONTEDISS 8 step 2.

About 18 more allegations have been leveled on the duo including refusal to pay yearly step increment in salaries for more than two years now, deliberate refusal to release monthly pay step to staff for more than 2years now, abuse of procurement process in the course of execution of capital projects.

Other allegations leveled against the Rector and Bursar include award of TETFUND projects to cronies without due process, introduction of ghost workers into the nominal roll of the Polytechnic contract staff, deliberate refusal to implement the recommended and approved polytechnic salary structure for all staff.

One of the most frightening allegations made against the Rector and the Bursar is the fraudulent parade of two different sets of nominal rolls, one that meets the expectation of government and NBTE and the other said to be used by the duo for defrauding members of staff.

It is further gathered that the young polytechnic receives more than 2million naira monthly as overhead cost but that the Rector and Bursar claim they are only given a party 600 thousand naira, per month. Other high ranking allegations made against the Rector and the Bursar are tremendous.

Meanwhile, this paper has learnt that the Rector, Prof. Balama J. Obomanu has gone diabolic in order to have a soft landing for his recent troubles and also get a fresh four year tenure.

This paper learnt from very credible sources in the institution that the Rector who is from Rivers State brought some juju priests into the premises of the institution penultimate Friday to do some incantations and invoke strange spirits into the Polytechnic.

Our sources who confirmed this to our paper, said the Rector didn’t know they were still in the school premises when he brought the juju priest to carry out his evil agenda.

According to our sources, the diabolic assignment took place around 5pm when the staff had closed from work.

It is understood that the juju priests killed hens, blew a certain powder amongst other assignments they did in the premises of the institution.

The priests then proceeded to the office of the Rector to finish off their assignment before taking their leave.

This act of desperation by the Rector is said to be one of his many alleged devilish deeds aimed at hanging on to power for another four years after the expiration of his first four years in office.