By Jeremiah Archibong And Obeten Godfrey
The Rector of the Cross River State Institute of Technology and Management (ITM) Ugep, Prof. Augustine Angba has disclosed that the institution has received the sum of Two Hundred Million Naira from the State Government to enable it resuscitate the institution and pay contractors handling infrastructure in the institute.
Prof. Angba disclosed this in an exclusive interview with CrossRiverWatch where he noted that most of the problems affecting the institution are foundational. He said “ITM had issues of sustainability in all aspects; financially, structurally and technically. The takeoff point of the institution was not properly done.”
Prof. Angba went on to say that “the school was built to provide technical middle man-power to service the State, the country and the world at large. As a polytechnic and School of Technology, the entire unique idea is to engage in limited Diploma programs, OND and HND, TIVEAT, vocational education in the area of middle man-power certificated courses, and professional courses in technical areas.
“The institution kick started with Computing, Management and Tourism courses, which when taken into deep consideration are not core technical courses offered in a polytechnic, (or) subsidiary applied sciences. The school required very huge sum of money much more than the state currently has to run the initial vision, therefore, there was a need to revisit the financial structure, and in doing that we had to harmonize the salary scale with the Nigerian system; and there was also a need to evolve a domesticated school that will imbibe with the Nigerian Polytechnic system.
“Education has a lot to do with the culture of a people, the Highbury college package that was given to us never considered our culture, which couldn’t fit into the Nigerian Polytechnic system.”
Concluding, he revealed that “Reduction of school fees will form part of the initiation of the second phase of the institution’s development plan. We are restarting the accreditation process of the institute.”
From inception, the Cross River State Institute of Management and Technology (ITM-Ugep) was headed by Dr. William Pedley who also represented the institution in Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
Prof Angba was later appointed Rector of the institution in June 2016 by the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Ben Ayade after the Cross River State Government thought it wise to domesticate the institution.
The Cross River State Institute of Technology and Management is one of the legacy projects of the former Governor of the State, Senator Liyel Imoke, in his bid to encourage and improve technical education.