Chairmen, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Kaduna Polytechnic Chapter, Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnic (SSANIP) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) have expressed appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the sale of the residential houses outside the campuses to their members.
Their letter of appreciation was signed by Adamson Cornelius, NASU chairman (KPT) and Ibrahim Abdulsalam Abubakar, SSANIP chairman (KPT) and copied the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), the executive secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Kaduna and His Eminence Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, Sultan of Sokoto.
Others were HRH Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, Emir of Zazzau, the national chairman, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), the national president, Kaduna Polytechnic Alumni Association, the chairman, Governing Council, Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna, the secretary, PIC, Edo House, Abuja, the rector, Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna, the registrar, Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna, the national president, Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP) and the general secretary, Non-Academic Staff Union, (NASU), Ibadan.
According to the union groups, the president’s gesture has afforded their members the rare opportunity to own houses without which, it would have been difficult or near impossible.
“In respect to the letter of the ASUP chairman, Kaduna Polytechnic Chapter, purported to be the position of his members, where he directed your humble self to halt the sales of the Federal Government houses, we wish to inform your good Office that the claims made by ASUP Chairman are false and do not carry any substance whatsoever.
“The claim of the chairman in paragraph II of his letter wherein he referred to the official gazette was a misrepresentation. In line with the gazette,”…. Institutional residences within schools, hospitals, power plants, dams and Universities are exempted”, the houses in question are outside of the Institution’s academic environment. There is no staff residence within the campus that has been put up for sales or lease. All the staff that have been issued offer letters are residing outside the campuses.
“Further to above it is also on record that ABU Zaria’s residential houses outside the campuses have since been sold to the then occupants. The entire New Nigerian Newspapers, another Sardauna legacy and other critical assets were taken over by the Federal Government of Nigeria and have since been disposed of.
“It is worthy to note that virtually all the houses are in a state of dilapidation. Most of these houses have not been renovated/maintained by the Polytechnic in the last ten years. It has been mostly the occupants of the houses that have been carrying out repairs in the various houses.
“We humbly request the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces to disregard the ASUP Chairman’s incoherent request and uphold the earlier approval graciously given by the President to the affected occupants as this was done in the best interest of the Institution and the Federal Government, as maintaining the houses is seriously telling on the lean finances of the Institution and as a result of this, occupants have been surcharged on monthly basis (aside payment of rent) to maintain and renovate these houses.
“The Governing Council of Kaduna Polytechnic as well as the PIC be allowed to continue with the good work they have started. The President and all other stakeholders to disregard the ASUP’s write up as well as the press conference they undertook on the sale of the houses; as it was done only to create confusions and mislead the Polytechnic Community and Nigerians in general.
“More importantly, acceding to ASUP’s request will amount to the government going against its own policy which has already been transmitted into law (gazetted),” the unions stressed.
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