Reps scolds polytechnic spending N496m yearly on salaries with only 142 students enrolled

The house of representatives committee on polytechnics and other higher technical education says it is shocking that a tertiary institution would spend N496m in one year on salaries with only 142 students enrolled.

The management of Federal Polytechnic Ugep in Cross Rivers stood before a reps panel to defend its budget performance for 2024.

Edward Okey, the polytechnic’s rector, had submitted the institution’s budget performance report to the committee.

As part of its ongoing oversight function, the reps committee had summoned federal polytechnics and other technical institutions from the south-south.

The invited institutions include Federal Polytechnic Orogun, Federal Polytechnic Ugep, Federal Polytechnic of Oil & Gas Bonny, Federal Polytechnic Auchi, and Federal Polytechnic Ekowe.

Also invited were the Federal Polytechnic Ukana and the National Institute of Construction Technology Management Uromi.

The reps committee expressed shock that Federal Polytechnic Ugep in Cross Rivers State would spend over N600 million on personnel (salaries) and overhead (running) costs in one budget cycle despite having only 142 students and 154 academic and non-academic staff.

The committee’s chairman Fouad Kayode Laguda and members were also angered that it also spent N38 million on local travel.

In his presentation, the rector said the institution spent its N2 Billion take-off grant to renovate the abandoned, dilapidated structures of Ugep Community Secondary School which it used as its temporary campus.

He said the polytechnic put up structures on the Institute of Technology Management (ITM) which he said they have eventually taken over as its permanent site.

“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 (ITM). But we could not get the state Polytechnic to start the school,” the rector said.

“So, the first challenge we had was to identify a temporary site to start the school to take off. That took us more than a year because Ugep is not a town, it’s a village. It’s 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 that, those buildings were abandoned for 25 years.

“So, we have to renovate those buildings. It took us more than one year to renovate those buildings for us to start. With our 2022 take-up, we identified a permanent site. We started different projects, about 10 projects on the permanent site.

“Some are at different levels of completion. Getting students and staff in Ugep has not been an easy task, because of some kind of stigma that Ugep carries.

“We started, we had 16 students, but this year, we have admitted 63 so far, so we have a total of 79. So, invariably, we have performed more than the school that started 12 years ago. Now, we have a total of 132. We took over the students and staff of ITM.”

A member of the reps committee, after an observation, described the spending by the institution as “a waste” and “unsustainable”.

“It is high time we tell ourselves the truth. If you have 142 students, that’s like an elementary school,” he added.

“In my village, we have a primary school. The students there are more than 500. A Polytechnic, a federal polytechnic for that matter has 142 students and your personnel is N496 million, almost N500 million, for a school that has 142 students.

“Your overhead is N159 million, for a school that has 142 students. Your capital is N25 million. What is the justification for these spendings?”

Fuad Kayode Laguda, while addressing the rectors at the end of the sitting, said the committee was disappointed by the poor presentation of the institutions.

“We called schools from south-south for an oversight. Not one met requirements or did what was expected,” he said.

“We are going to request that you’re going to come back. Every single school of you. And when you come back, you have to come back with your complete team. To come and re-present your reports.

“See the clerk after now to give you requirements of what is expected of your budget review. We will, in less than a week, recall you here to come and make this presentation.”