S ENIOR Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) has called on the federal government to exempt tertiary institutions from the Single Treasury Account (TSA), saying it is not favorable to tertiary education in the country.
The observation was contained in a communique issued and signed by its National President, Reverend Sunday Sabo; and National Secretary, Chief Fred Jegede, after the 50th General Council meeting and executive council meeting of the association, held at the Plateau State Polytechnic, Jos.
The meeting observed that the implementation of the TSA should be reviewed because its implementation is starving the tertiary educational institutions of needed funds.
The association noted further that the TSA implementation is also slowing down the day-to-day running of the polytechnic and other levels of tertiary education.
“We therefore suggest that the tertiary education be exempted from the implementation of the policy.
“For instance, in the provision of basic social amenities in the school, the students will not have the patience to wait for the process created by TSA. Students will not want to wait for government if they are to read for exams and there is no electricrity or water to cook in the hostel.
“If a lecturer drops dead, the school has to wait for a year to recruit another lecturer; this will delay a lot of things,” it reads.
It also made a case for the payment of arrears of CONTISS 15, appointment of rectors for some federal polytechnic (TETFund), constitution of visitation panel for state-owned tertiary institutions, and so on.
The union also raised its voice against the planned sale of some national assets to cushion the economic recession, saying, “Council-in-Session condemns in its entirety the planned sale of strategic national assets by the federal government in an attempt to get out of the present economic recession.
“This plan is viewed as an attempt to further impoverish the already downtrodden masses,” it noted