Unpaid Salaries: Abia Poly Rector, ASCETA Provost Sacked

Abia State Government, amidst months of unpaid workers’ salaries,  has removed rector of the state Polytechnic, Aba, Sir Allwell Onukaogu, and the Provost of the state College of Education Technical, Arochukwu (ASCETA), Dr. Christian Nwanmuo.

This is even as both teaching and non-teaching staff of Abia State Polytechnic on Monday embarked on an indefinite strike over unpaid salaries and other emoluments.

Prof. Eleazar Ikonne, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics) of Abia State University will replace Sir Onukaogu, while Prof. Nnenna Kanno is to take over at ASCETA.

While the staff members of Abia State Polytechnic were owed six months salary arrears, their ASCETA counterparts were also owed six months salary after that of April was paid last week.

The Sun newspapers had, in recent editions, reported sickening decay in higher institutions in Abia State, where lecturers in such institutions were eating the bread of sorrow, due to months of unpaid salaries.

According to a terse statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Nkpa Agu Nkpa, the heads of the institutions were removed due to unspecified issues in their schools.

They were directed to hand over to their successors on or before Tuesday next week.

 The government’s action took many by surprise because while Onukaogu had few months to the end of his second tenure as the rector of the state polytechnic, Nwamuo was recently re-appointed provost against strong opposition by the workers.