HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISCOVERS POLYTECHNIC WITH 142 STUDENTS, SPENT OVER N600M ON PERSONNEL, OVERHEAD 03-12-24
By Sadiq Aminu The House of Representatives has said that, Federal Polytechnic Ugep, Cross Rivers State had spent over N600 million on personnel and Overhead costs despite having only one hundred and forty two 142, students and 154 academic and non-academic staff.
The House Committee on Polytechnics and other Higher Technical Education made the discovery after the submission of budget performance and other activities by the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Ugep, Cross Rivers State, Professor Edward Okey.
The Committee while expressing shock over the discovery described the spendings by the institution as a waste and unsustainable.
The Committee Chairman, Fuad Laguda and members who were angered with the budget Submission, also discovered that the Polytechnic spent N38 million on local travel.
In his presentation, the Rector of the Polytechnic while highlighting how the funds were expended, Professor Okey claimed that, they also spent N2 Billion take-off grant to renovate the abandoned, dilapidated structure of Ugep Community Secondary School to use as a temporary campus and put up structures on the Institute of Technology Management which he said they have eventually taken over as their permanent site.
The Committee had as part of its ongoing oversight function invited Federal Polytechnics and some other technical institutions from the South-South to appear which include; Federal Polytechnic, Orogun; Federal Polytechnic, Ugep; Federal Polytechnic Oil &Gas, Bonny; Federal Polytechnic, Auchi; Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe; Federal Polytechnic Ukana and the National Institute of Construction Technology Management, Uromi.