Abiapoly Needs Bailout Fund not Subvention-Comrade Igwe Samuel

What we need today is a bail out fund for Abiapoly and not subvention. If Government can pay at least 3 months salary and follow up the management of the institution and check how prudent they are, it will do everyone good.

It is said that a hungry man is an angry man, little wonder, the actions of our father’s and mother’s today.

Locking up the school gate and forcing both staff and students remain outside; even though I don’t support the locking up of the school gate but I think Strong measures require strong actions.

I guess their action was to invite the government to their ordeal even though we all know Abiapoly is a parastatal of its own and manages its own affair but its still under the government. Help is needed.

However, while many have been complaining of the issues, I have been doing a robust thinking of the problems and possible solutions of this menace and this led me to begin to ask several questions on how we got here? What went wrong? How did we fail? How can we come out of this mess? Ever since I came into Abiapoly in 2012, we have always had issue of salaries as a reoccurring problem.

This led me to put up this piece, not with an intention of dwelling on the problems but to seek out ways to proffer solutions to the challenges before us. I intend to be as objective as I can because I promised to hold no brief for anyone no matter whose ox is gored. I will speak the truth and make sure my voice is heard.

Problems of Abiapoly
1. Funding
This is the major problem of the institution. Like I highlighted in my first writeup. The institutions revenue both internally and externally isn’t enough to run the institution. Government provides 90m every month as subvention and in 12 months will total 1.2 bn while that of the IGR via school fees of approximately 10,000 students paying 53,150 would equal 530,150,000. Add the 1.2 bn of government subvention with 530m it would equal over 1.7bn which is the total revenue of the school minus acceptance fee. Now, only the wage bill of Abiapoly monthly is about 170 million and In 12 months it would equal to 2.04bn. Subtracting 2.04 bn from 1.7 bn means the school requires over 500 million monthly to be able to pay its salaries.

The question now is, where to find the extra to pay up?
Currently, the institution is owing about 10 months salary arrears.

2. Reduction of students.
During my ND, Abiapoly had over 25,000- 30,000 students. Today, Abiapoly can’t boost of 10,000 students and this further hinders revenue in the institution.

Wrong Image of the polytechnic.
Abiapoly has for the past few years been in the news for the wrong reason. If it’s not forged school fee receipt, then it is fake certificate. If its not sacking of lecturers then it is non payment of salaries and or even protest on development fee by students. All this clearly send a bad signal to potential students and has a great impact on the certificate been offered our student.
Because of space, I will stop with this three now let’s talk about the solutions.
..
1. Funding..
Managing Abiapoly isn’t rocket science.
Few months ago, when I and my SUG officials were insisting on students not paying Development fee. One of the points I highlighted was that I was taught in Abiapoly in my ND1 a course on Economics. One of the laws states that the lower the price, the higher the demand and the higher the demand the lower the price. We made supplication that what our problem is, was increasing our revenue and not increasing our fee.

If we could reduce our school fee from the current #53,150 to maybe #45,000 and follow it with aggressive advertisement on radio and the media, In fact it would be a kudos to management and would bring about an influx of students. We could beat our records of 30,000 students than struggling with our current 10,000 students.

Students could even pay faster and earlier. I know we could surpass 40,000 students. However, if we use 30,000 students who pay #45000 we would have a total of 1.3 bn or more which surpasses our present income of 530 million. Note that our revenue increased by over 110%.The indigent students amongst us can comfortably pay, and on time too.

2.Scrapping of the Development fee.
While my administration insisted that Development fee be scrapped out. I think scrapping that could also help curry favour towards increase in our revenue. The wisdom is to increase our population to a greater level. Some students refused to enrol in our school because of this single fee.
Wrong image of the institution

Quite many will agree with me that no school has no element of corruption yet the survive and still look like saints. Both the students, Alumni, unions, staff and management must partner to rebrand the image of the institution. No point saying the wrong things about your school. Applying the igbo adage that says “onweghi onye ga asi ofe NNE ya shiri adighi uto” meaning ‘ none will say, soup prepared by his mother isn’t sweet”.

Finally, this calls for a retrospective thinking. It calls for all stakeholders including the unions shifting grounds to accommodate one another. It isn’t a time of blames but of working on a map to set us out from this mess. God willing, everyone will shield their interest for the sake of our future leaders who are the present students.

I am willing to keep offering my suggestions once it concerns my alma mater. I insist that this remains my own advise and is subject to you rejecting or accepting it.

It remains my opinion on the issue above.
Greetings to my amiable Governor Dr Okezie Okezie Ikpeazu our student friendly Governor on his sacrifices for our dear state. God bless you sir. Am sure our plea always gets to you. We love you.
Comrade Igwe Samuel
Immediate past SUG President Abiapoly.