A group of disengaged staff of the Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic (formerly Abia State Polytechnic), Aba, have raised alarm over what they describe as a deliberate obstruction of Governor Alex Otti’s approval for their reinstatement and payment of entitlements.
The former employees, who were dismissed in September 2019 by the previous governor of the state, Okezie Ikpeazu, said their termination was politically motivated and has left them in misery, with six of their colleagues already dead due to hardship.
They alleged that while the governor had magnanimously approved their return to work and directed payment of their arrears, the process has been stalled by internal sabotage. They further urged the governor to step in personally to ensure justice is served.
According to them, the governor’s directive has been ignored by the institution’s management, with the current rector, Dr. Okoro Christopher Kalu, accused of filling vacancies with his “brothers and sisters” instead of recalling those unjustly sacked.
Speaking exclusively to Parallel Facts, a spokesperson for the group, Comrade Peter Kalu Ibe, former Vice Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Abia Poly Chapter, laid bare the frustrations of the former staff and the human cost of the delay.
“In 2019, we were disengaged for no just cause . After disengagement, we went to court. But when His Excellency, Alex Otti, in his magnanimity, decided to start paying the arrears we were owed by the government of Okezie Ikpeazu, the payment started with those still in service. Then finally, the disengaged staff payment started. But unfortunately, some people were paid, a very small fraction, while the majority were not paid.
“We went to Umuahia and were directed back to Abia State Polytechnic, where they collected our documents and transmitted them back to Umuahia. Then, they claimed our documents could not be traced. When the payment came many times and we were not paid, we tried to find out what happened and we were told that everything had been done to start payment. They said the Accountant-General and desk officer in charge had completed everything that has to do with the payment, but the acting cashier is sitting on it, saying that the governor must re-approve. But we explained that the governor has already approved, so there won’t be another approval.
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“We asked the cashier to come for a roundtable discussion to know when and how we can be paid, and nothing has been done about it. Many of us are suffering. Last week we buried our member who couldn’t afford medical bills.
“Also, the governor otti gave a directive to the current rector of Abia Poly to recall those unjustly sacked. Until today, the rector has not done anything. Instead, he is busy employing his brothers and sisters. All those sacked unjustly — none of them has been recalled. We are ready to come out and testify.
“We are pleading with the governor otti to institute an independent panel to investigate what actually transpired in Abia Poly. It was a case of victimization because of our political stand. Most of us, our crime was asking that salaries be paid.”
The group also decried what they called “gross irregularities” in the handling of their case, lamenting that those who allegedly mismanaged and worked against the institution are today benefitting from government goodwill, while loyal staff remain abandoned.
“So many that spoiled the institution are the ones enjoying what we fought for. We are pleading with His Excellency. We have been supporting him in all elections, even in 2015, 2019. In 2023, we supported him, and Abia Poly was the first result transmitted online because we stood our ground for His Excellency.”
Peter added, “We have suffered a lot for the past five years. Our wives, our children, our families are starving. About six of us have died in the process, and many more are sick. We need the governor to intervene so that we can have a new life.”
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