100 lecturers have deserted Nuhu Bamalli poly since 2016, says ASUP

More than 100 lecturers and non-teaching staff of Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria in Kaduna state have left the institution for greener pasture in the last three years, a local union officials said on Wednesday.

Aliyu Musa-Kofa, chairman, Academic Staff Union of the Polytechnic (ASUP), told journalists in Zaria that the lecturers left due to poor pay package.

According to him, the Kaduna state government, which owns the institution, has not fully implemented the consolidated tertiary institutions’ salary structure (CONTISS).

“From 2016 to date more than 100 academic and non-academic members of staff have left the institution to Federal College of Education (FCE) Zaria, Kaduna State University (KASU) and other state polytechnics with higher package,” the union leader said.

He said, while the union commend the state governor for implementing the new national minimum wage, it was important to draw his attention to the plight of workers in the state-owned tertiary institutions.

“We also want to use this medium to draw his attention to some lingering issues that have been seriously devastating the growth of our great institution,” he said.

“The most central lingering issue is the remaining 20 per cent of our salary structure, that is CONTISS.”

Musa-Kofa also disclosed that in 2010, a joint forum consisting of all unions of state owned tertiary institutions signed an MoU with the state government on implementation of CONTISS.

“After thorough engagements and deliberations, the unions agreed that in view of the financial status of the state as at then, we accepted 50 per cent,” he said.

“In 2014 also, after a long agitation, we also signed another MoU where the then government agreed to give additional 30 per cent to the initial 50, cumulatively making 80 per cent.

“So, as I am addressing you now, our staff here are enjoying 80 per cent of the CONTISS which is below the national benchmark of salary structure for tertiary institutions.”

He said that the issue of retirement age was also constituting a serious setback not only to the development of the institution but also to the growth of education in general.

Musa-Kofa, therefore, urged the government to implement the remaining 20 per cent of the CONTISS, to stop brain drain not only in the polytechnic, but also other tertiary institutions across the state with the exception of KASU.