NBTE Head, Media Department, Hajiya Fatima Abubakar, in a statement issued, yesterday, said the board took the decision when it realised the management of Abia Polytechnic is not committed to offsetting the arrears and ensuring regular payment of salaries of its workers.
According to NBTE spokesperson, the board, on several occasions, had warned the management of the Polytechnic that “regular payment of salary is one key component of the board’s instruments for quality assurance in Polytechnics and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions under her purview.”
Abubakar explained: “The board had drawn the attention of the Polytechnic to the dangers of non-payment of salaries, including the suspension of quality assurance visits,” pointing out that “the Governing Council and Management of the Polytechnic made failed promises to settle the backlog of salaries and ensure regular payment.
“The board went the extra mile of writing the governor, informing him of the situation in the Polytechnic but to no avail.
“The decision to withdraw the accreditation status of the Polytechnic is to safeguard the quality assurance mechanism of the board and ensure that students are not left at the mercy of demoralised staff that may resort to under-the-table practices to survive.”
Meanwhile, the NBTE has warned the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) that no product of Abia Polytechnic should be mobilised for service until the management of the institution resolves the issue of non-payment of salaries to its staffers, pledging to notify the NYSC once the accreditation status of the polytechnic is restored.
