Alex Otti lifts 10-year embargo on staff promotion at Abia polytechnic

Alex Otti, governor of Abia state, has lifted a decade-long embargo on staff promotions at Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic in Aba.

Ukoha Njoku, the chief press secretary to the governor, announced the decision in a statement on Tuesday in Umuahia.

Njoku said the governor also approved the release of all accumulated promotions for the institution’s staff within the polytechnic.

He added that the staff expressed gratitude to the governor for fulfilling his promise to clear 33 months of salary arrears owed by the previous administration and ensuring timely salary payments.

The governor was also commended for introducing measures to improve infrastructure and enhance the institution’s academic standards.

In recent years, Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, formerly Abia Polytechnic, has faced significant financial and administrative challenges.

These include prolonged salary arrears and stalled staff promotions under the previous administration.

The challenges have prompted staff protests and concerns over declining academic standards at the institution, a key hub for technical and vocational education in Abia state.

Under the Alex Otti administration, Abia State Polytechnic was renamed Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic on November 7, 2024.

This decision, he said, was made to honour Ogbonnaya Onu, the now-late first civilian governor of Abia state.

Otti said it was to recognise Onu’s contribution to the state’s development, including the establishment of the polytechnic in 1992.