The Federal College of Education, Okene, Kogi, has appealed for financial support from the Federal Government to enable it to perform its statutory responsibilities more efficiently.
Mr Saad Abdullahi, Chairman, Governing Board of the institution, made the appeal on Thursday in Abuja while speaking with journalists after a courtesy call by the board on the Minister of Education, Mal. Adamu Adamu.
Abdullahi expressed concern that monthly allocation to the college had not been regular, a development he said had resulted in financial difficulty for the institution.
“The minister is our principal and the college belongs to his ministry. We came to tell him some of the problems the school is facing and we suggested what should be done.
“Funding was what we came to discuss with the minister; the allocation of funds to the college is not regular from the government, most especially on capital projects.
“The monthly allocation does not come up regularly.
‘’We have pending promotion arrears, pending allowances for staff and other debts the college is owing,” he said.
He said that the minister responded ”passionately” to the request of the board during the courtesy visit.
The Provost of the college, Dr Umar Hassan, also urged the minister to intervene and save the college from its financial burden.
“Our precarious financial situation is further compounded by irregular releases of overhead grants from the federal government.
“Right now, there is tension in the college over the demand by members of staff for promotion arrears for 2015 and 2016, totaling N33.6million.
“It is on this premise that we humbly solicit whatever urgent intervention the minister could use, with the instrumentality of his office, to enable the college ward off the festering tension over unpaid peculiar allowance.
“This will sustain the peace and industrial harmony which have so far facilitated uninterrupted academy activities in the college,” he said,
Earlier while responding during the visit, Adamu assured that the ministry would do the needful to see to the demand of the college.
