By Luka Yohanna

In spite of the extensive media charade and publicity of “alerts” and “prompt salary payments”, more than fifty-two million Naira and ten months salary arrears is being owed part-time lecturers and casual workers at the Plateau State Polytechnic, Barkin-Ladi.

This was confirmed by the Rector of the Polytechnic, Mr. Dauda Gyemang, at an emergency parley last week, Tuesday 17th October, 2017 in a bid to subvert protests being planned by the affected staff.

The Rector, who was accompanied by the Registrar, Librarian and other staff of the Institution, started the meeting by praising the understanding and work ethic of the workers. Saying that many of the Polytechnic’s departments were almost entirely being ran by part-time staff.

After the initial interlude however, the real reason for the meeting began to unfold, when the rector confirmed that they gathered that some part time lecturers, were planning to embarrass the institution and the Government by refusing to  conduct examinations or to withhold student’s scripts in protests over the ten months’ salary arrears being owed them.

Clarifying the reason for the non-payment, he said the Treasury Single Account, though a very commendable policy was to blame. He said the TSA process has led to more than fifty two million Naira of the Institution’s Internally Generated Revenue to be held in the coffers of the State Government.

He said, Governor Simon Bako Lalong’s administration remains the most supportive administration to Plapoly and appealed to workers to bear with the management of the Institution and the State Ministry of Finance, over delays in the “reconciliation” process.

He then applauded the efforts of the Government at the state level for approving and releasing funds for some key projects within the Polytechnic, including accreditation and reimbursement stipends for victims of the burnt female students’ hostel, among others.

The lavish praise showed on the Government however, did not go down well with the workers who took turns to respond to the pleas of management by offering what they deemed appropriate to be done.

Some had appealed to the management to give permission for the part-time lecturers to carry out protests to the Government House, a suggestion which was quickly rebuffed by the Management.

Others were of the opinion that more needed to be done by staff of the Ministry, stating that they found it unbelievable that ‘Governor Alert’ could abandon both the Institution and its workers especially in cases like this one, suggesting some underhanded practices governing the TSA regime.

Another part-time lecturer took on the management for the lack of available consumables and other materials required for practical activities within a technical school like the Polytechnic, to which the management responded by citing the same lack of funds engineered by the TSA, while numerous other responders detailed their various individual hurdles, which were all occasioned by the lack of salaries.

The two hour thirty minutes meeting came to a close with numerous appeals by attendees for Government not to allow the reported “Gindiri experience” of employment where part-time personnel were totally sidelined in favour of political interests in the state, during any upcoming employment within the Institution.

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Ten Month Salary being owed part-time staff of Plateau State Polytechnic