Staff of the Adamawa State Polytechnic (SPY) and other residents at staff quarters have lamented non rehabilitation of the quarters for over 20 years and hike in rent.
The staff who said no rehabilitation had been carried out on the greatly dilapidated houses since the past 22 years, are also angry that rents of the houses were hiked without prior notification.
Forty-six staff members living in the Yola and Numan campuses of the polytechnic are affected.
They complained that the hike was last effected in 2021.
The affected staff, most of who spoke on condition of anonymity said the increase in rents without prior notification has unfairly burdened them, while calling on Governor Ahmadu Fintiri to intervene in the matter.
They also said similar staff quarters in other tertiary institutions owned by the state government are accessed free of charge.
“Part of our pain is being in government staff quarters paying N144,000 per annum for a 3-bedroom house while all other tertiary institutions in the state are free,” one of the protesting staff member,” Maizare Duniya said.
The staff members called for investigation into the rent increase to ascertain its legality and fairness and preferably to revert to the status quo.
When contacted the rector of the polytechnic, Prof. Mohammed Dahiru Toungo, said although the rents were hiked before he assumed office the current rents are fair enough.
“When they complained to me that the rent is high and that other tertiary institutions owned by the state do not charge rent for staff quarters, I told them that I was paying rent when I was in the quarters of the Adamawa State University,” the rector said.
He however announced that steps were being taken to attend to the renovation needs of the occupants, including a decision to start gradual rehabilitation with what the polytechnic can gather, as well as to write to the state government to intervene as, according to him, even the rent that the tenants describe as too high is not enough to do thorough renovation.
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