The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics has raised the alarm over what it described as the worsening financial crisis at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, urging the Ogun State Government to urgently intervene to avert a collapse of operations.
The union, in a statement issued by its MAPOLY branch in Abeokuta on Tuesday, said the institution was struggling to remain afloat due to inadequate government funding, declining student enrolment and mounting accreditation challenges.
SSANIP lamented that the monthly subvention to the polytechnic had remained stagnant for over a decade despite rising economic realities, stressing that the current allocation of ₦20.75m falls far short of the institution’s monthly salary obligation of over ₦210m.
The union said the funding gap had forced the institution to rely heavily on internally generated revenue to run its operations, a situation it described as unsustainable and detrimental to academic standards.
It noted that the dwindling student population had further compounded the crisis, reducing the institution’s revenue base and weakening its capacity to fund academic and administrative activities.
According to the association, the decline in enrolment is linked to programme accreditation challenges, stiff competition among tertiary institutions and inadequate infrastructure.
SSANIP also expressed concern over the difficulties faced in securing accreditation for academic programmes by the National Board for Technical Education, noting that the process requires significant investment in laboratories, workshops, libraries, teaching equipment and staff development.
It warned that failure to meet accreditation requirements could lead to the suspension of admissions into affected programmes, further eroding the institution’s competitiveness.
The union added that many facilities within the polytechnic had deteriorated and required urgent rehabilitation, modernisation and expansion to meet contemporary teaching and learning standards.
It described the institution as a critical driver of technical education, youth empowerment and manpower development in Ogun State, stressing that its continued decline would have far-reaching socio-economic implications.
SSANIP, therefore, called on the state government to review the current subvention, provide special financial intervention for accreditation exercises and invest in infrastructural development.
The union, however, pledged its commitment to industrial harmony, while urging the government to act swiftly in the interest of staff, students and the future of technical education in the state.
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