The Rector, Abdu Gusau Polytechnic in Talata Mafara, Zamfara State, Dr Surajo Abdullahi Shinkafi, has cried out over the dilapidated state of facilities in the institution, saying that past administrations neglected the school.
Shinkafi appealed to Governor Dauda Lawal to rescue the polytechnic through infrastructure and human resource development.
The Rector spoke when he received the Zamfara State Government’s visitation panel at the institution on Thursday.
According to him, inadequate manpower has badly affected the institution as it is presently suffering from unprecedented shortage of qualified human capital.
“The institution has suffered years of neglect from successive governments despite the fact that the institution has produced three governors, engineers, politicians and business icons in and outside the state, but is highly lacking infrastructure and human resources.
“Most of our staff have left because of poor remuneration, welfare and dilapidated structures. As I speak to you now, we lack manpower in all the departments and units of this institution,” he said.
He further explained that in the security unit, the polytechnic has only 11 permanent staff.
“We had to engage casual staff for improve security at the institution,” the Rector noted.
Shinkafi also lamented that no fewer than 21 staff of the institution have died, including the former Registrar, Mallam Ibrahim Jafar.
“Abdu Gusau Polytechnic has many challenges both vertical and horizontal, we need financial autonomy,” he stressed.
Responding, the visitation Panel Chairman, Professor Jafaru Abubakar-Sadiq, said the committee was set up to ascertain the condition of the institution with a view to upgrading its structures and capacity.
“We are here on a fact-finding mission, we are all committed towards supporting the government’s efforts to improve the quality of education in the state,” he said.