The Rector of Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi in Edo State, Dr Salisu Umar, says the institution was indebted to the tune of over N1.3 billion when he took over.

Umar disclosed this on Wednesday while addressing newsmen during his one-year stewardship as the Rector of the polytechnic.

He said N24 million was paid monthly to part-time lecturers and casual workers in the institution.

The Rector stated: “Our Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) over one year have really suffered a great blow because of the debt I met on ground.

“When I came on board I met over N1.3 billion debt which I can authoritatively tell you we have settled over 90 per cent of it and that does not stop us from doing little things.

“If I look at the money we spent on paying part-time lecturers, I have over 700 casual workers in this school and we pay them over N24 million monthly and that did not include the electricity which we also pay from our IGR.

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“This does not include diesel which we also pay from IGR, but in all this, I will not want to use them as an excuse for me not to develop the school.

“I have already pushed myself and the institution to a point of no return that whether I like it or not I must put infrastructure on ground.

“So money is a problem, but by God’s grace, we will try to manage the little resources we have without waste, to make sure that we achieve what we intend to achieve within the stipulated time.”

Umar said he had carried out numerous projects in the last one year with some completed and others at 80 per cent level.

He highlighted some of the projects to include construction of two lecture hall theatres, 40 staff offices in the School of Agricultural Science, 48 staff offices in Campus Two, construction of boreholes and Department of Architect.

Others are installation of solar power, construction of link road from Campus One and Campus Three; another link road from campus two and campus three, and provision of broadband Internet service around the campuses, amongst others.

The Rector added that 64 programmes had been accredited in the school with 17 new programmes introduced in the institution during his one year in office.

“These 17 new programmes are actually the programmes that will upgrade any institution.

“They are the newly introduced programmes in the world such as Welding and Fabrications, Mechatronics, Petroleum and Gas Processing, Computer Engineering, Website Design, Pharmaceutical Technology, Agric Crop Production, and so on and so forth.

“As I have said, I want to make Auchi Polytechnic a world-class institution within the next four years of my leaving here,” Umar said.

The Star