By Aaron Ossai
Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Adamawa State, Federal Polytechnic Monguno, Borno State and Federal Polytechnic Damaturu, Yobe State have been queried by the House of Representatives C’ttee on Polytechnics other Higher Institutions over various infractions relating to administrative and financial.
It would be recalled that the Rectors and some management staff of the three institutions appeared before the Committee as part of its oversight function to render accounts of their budget performances.
However, the Committee discovered various infractions in the documents presented by the three institutions which ranged from abuse of Federal Character in employment, Extra-Budgetary spendings and recurring abandoned, uncompleted projects in one of the institutions.
The Committee found out during presentation by the Rector, Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Dr Abdulrahman A. Ishaku, that projects that were to be completed in two to three years were not finished despite adequate release of funds in budget.
Specifically, the Committee was angered by the non-completion of a staff quarters and an administrative block project by the institution for years.
Speaking, Hon. Emil Inyang who stood in for the Committee Chairman, Hon. Fuad Kayode Laguda at the meeting on Thursday, lamented that the projects have not been completed and have been recurring in the budgets.
He said, “Physical Planning, can you show me where you rolled over the project to 2023? It’s not here. Is it in 2024? Why do you come here to lie? Where is it? That admin block, is it in use? Has it been completed? So, you have abandoned it.
“Gentlemen, I don’t know what to say to these kinds of people. Construction of staff quarters, Item number Nine under 2022 capital projects. Have you seen it, Rector? What is the state of that building? Is it completed? It is completed, that’s what is shown here, and you are saying it is still remaining fittings. Is fittings not part of completion?
“You people are just disgracing yourselves. We are just killing this country from various directions. From our various positions we are just killing this country. Let me ask a question on this staff quarters. In 2022, the amount appropriated was N57.9 million, N28.9 was utilized was released, so remaining N28.9 that’s half.
“But, by 2023, appropriation was 88 and the entire amount has been released. So, is it the same project?If it is the same project, when this appropriation was done, does it mean that, the other 28 that was not done, not utilised that time, is it kept somewhere?”
The Rector however informed the Committee that the fund was later mopped up.
In his ruling after the submission, the Chairman told the Rector that, “What I will tell you now is that, instead of going through this document that does not satisfy anything, please, you will.list all the abandoned, all the structures you have not completed. When it started, How much was appropriated, How much you have put in till date, the state of those projects one after the other in the entire school.
“Not just in. your regime. From inception till date.So that, we will include them in your 2025 budget. You will not do any new thing as capital. You must complete these abandoned. You have turned some of these projects to conduits of putting money into them and not completing them. Even the ones you have written as completed here. You used your own mouth to tell us here that you have not installed fittings. That is what you said.
“So, this is why it is necessary for us to go there and see things for ourselves.Because what you are doing here, you are just wasting governments’ resources. These abandoned projects or the state of the jobs especially constructions, let’s have it in one week time. How much you have put in there, at what stage are they, how much you will need to complete”.
Similarly, the Committee berated the Federal Polytechnic Damaturu over using Insecurity as an excuse for financial malfeasance and other infractions as well the abuse of Federal Character in employment.
Chairman of the Committee noted that the institution has carelessly spent its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) according to the records presented to the Committee.
In his presentation, the Acting Rector, Dr Ibrahim Babale Gashua said, the institution is facing low IGR as a result of the insecurity being faced in the state which he said has reduced students intake and other activities.