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The House of Representatives Committee on Polytechnics and Other Higher Technical Education has raised concerns over the Federal Polytechnic, Ugep, Cross River State, for spending N600m on personnel and overhead costs within a single budget cycle, despite having only 142 students.
The institution, established in 2021, currently employs 154 academic and non-academic staff.
Expressing dissatisfaction, the committee chairman, Fouad Laguda, on Tuesday, criticised the management’s financial decisions, particularly the N38m spent on local travels.
Appearing before the committee to defend the polytechnic’s 2024 budget performance, the Rector, Edward Okey, explained that a significant portion of the institution’s N2bn take-off grant was used to renovate abandoned structures at Ugep Community Secondary School, which now serves as the polytechnic’s temporary campus.
In his defence, the Rector noted said “Our school was established in 2021. When we went to Ugep, we were to start the school at a temporary site in the State Polytechnic called the Institute of Technology and Management. However, we could not get the State Polytechnic to start the school.
“So, the first challenge we had was to identify a temporary site to start the school. That took us more than a year because Ugep is a big town, but it’s a local town. To get a school for us to start was not an easy task.
“After going around the village, we ended up with dilapidated buildings of a secondary school called Ugep Community Secondary School. The principal of that school told us those buildings had been abandoned for 25 years.
However, despite the rector’s defence, a committee member described the institution’s spending as “wasteful” and “unsustainable.”
Addressing the polytechnic heads, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee,Laguda expressed disappointment in the presentations from institutions across the South-South region.
“We called schools from the South-South for oversight, and not one met the requirements or performed as expected,” Laguda said.
“We will request that you return with your complete team and re-present your reports. See the clerk to obtain the necessary requirements for your budget review. You will be recalled within the week to make your presentation,” he concluded.
