Rescue Gusau poly from years of neglect, Rector appeals to Gov Lawal

Jan 4, 2024 - 09:10 Updated: Jan 4, 2024 - 09:14

Rescue Gusau poly from years of neglect, Rector appeals to Gov Lawal

The Rector, Abdu Gusau Polytechnic Talata Mafara in Zamfara state, Dr Surajo Abdullahi Shinkafi has appealed to Governor Dauda Lawal’s rescue mission for infrastructure and human resources, saying the institution has suffered years of neglect from successive governments in the state.

Shinkafi stated this in his office when he received the Zamfara state government’s visitation panel at the institution in Talata Mafara town in the state.

He explained that inadequate manpower has badly affected the institution as it was presently suffering from an unprecedented shortage of qualified human capital.

According to him, the institution has suffered years of neglect from successive governments “despite that the institution has produced three governors, engineers, politicians and business icons in and outside the state, “we are lacking in infrastructure and human resources.

“Most of our staff have left because of poor remuneration, welfare and dilapidated structures as I speak to you now, we lacked manpower in all the departments and units of this institution,” he said.

He maintained that in the security unit, they have only 11 permanent staff, “we had to engage casual staff to improve security at the institution.”

He further lamented that no fewer than 21 staff of the institution have died including former registrar, Mallam Ibrahim Jafar.

The Rector disclosed that Abdu Gusau Polytechnic “has many challenges both vertical and horizontal, and we need financial autonomy.”

He commended Governor Dauda Lawal in his rescue mission to the school by declaring a state of emergency on education and described the visitation panel as the first of its kind to visit the institution since its creation in the state.

He lauded the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Tetfund) for executing multi-million naira projects in the polytechnic.

“If not for the intervention of the Tetfund, the polytechnic would have not been where it is now.”

In his remarks, the visitation panel chairman, Professor Jafaru Abubakar-Sadiq, said the committee was set up to ascertain the condition of the institution to upgrade its structures and capacity.

“We are here on a fact-finding mission, we are all committed to supporting the government’s efforts to improve the quality of education in the state.”