If the authorities of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko in Orumba North Council Area of Anambra State can sustain the tempo of the on-going war against campus cultism, then in no distant time cultism would be flushed out of the system completely.
And with about 51 students of the institution who were members of various cult groups stepping out pemultimate Tuesday at the matriculation arena of the poly campus to denounce their membership of the cults publicly, there is no doubt that a great landmark has been achieved in the war against campus cultism.
As if they were not satisfied with the public renunciation alone, the students who constituted the membership of the five major cult groups on campus, including the Eiye Confraternity, Buccaneers, Black Berets (22), Supreme Vikings and Black Axe also destroyed their supreme temples publicly, after brief prayers.
The renunciation and destruction ceremony was witnessed by the Rector of the Polytechnic, Professor Godwin Onu, while the Chaplain of St. Augustine’s Catholic Chaplaincy, Rev. Fr. Anthony Ezeoke; the Vicar- in-charge of the Anglican Chapel of the Light, Venerable Chukwudi Osondu, and Rev. Paul Ede of the Chapel of Transfiguration Pentecostal church offered prayers at the ceremony.
The Director of Anti-Cult Squad on campus, Abdullahi Khaki, in his brief speech, disclosed that his squad was constituted in 2001, under the then Rectorship of Professor Uba Nwuba, adding that the squad was responsible for fishing out cult members during their initiations and other cult activities on campus.
In their separate speeches, Rev. Fr. Ezeoke, Venerable Osondu and Rev. Ede praised the cultists for their courage in renouncing the cultism activities, adding that other students who are still members of the various cult groups should toe the footsteps of the repentant students, particularly now that the school authorities have agreed to forgive them.
The clergymen described cultism as a devilish act which usually ends up in jeopardizing the lives and careers of the cultists and their victims, adding that once anybody shed blood in the act of cultism, the blood must continue to hunt such person until he or she renounced membership and repented.
In his remarks, the Rector of the institution, Professor Onu noted that all the students have been forgiven by the school authorities, adding the now that they have confessed their sins and renounced their cultism, God will equally forgive them, provided they do not go back to cultism.
Onu observed that there are two deadly female cult groups operating on campus, adding that it is better for them to also renounce their own membership, face their studies squarely, graduate in flying colours, secure a gainful employment, get married and settle down in a happy family or they will be exposed and punished at the appropriate time, since the school authority is keeping a tab on their activities.
The Rector who restated the institution’s zero tolerance to cultism and other forms of corrupt practices on campus, both on the part of students and the lecturers, warned that once this opportunity given to all the cultists to renounce their membership elapsed, those found would be flushed out of the system.
Highlight of the activities included the exposure of all the materials being used by the cultist, including four guns, unexpended ammunitions, cutlasses, coloured candles, cult regalia of different colours, charms and amulets.
All the candles and regalia were set ablaze in public glare, while the arms, ammunitions and the cutlasses were recovered by the anti-cult squad.
In another development, the management of the institution has promoted no fewer than 147 staff in its 2009 annual promotion exercise. The breakdown of the promotion contained in a statement signed by the institution’s Registrar, Mr Olih Nwaokolobia and made available to newsmen showed that 11 principal lecturers were promoted to Chief Lecturers while 9 senior lecturers were elevated to the status of principal lecturers.
According to the statement, six lecturer II staffers were promoted to lecturer 1, just as two lecturer III rose to the rank of Lecturer II.
Other categories of staffers that benefitted from the promotion exercise, according to the statement, included Chief Instructors, Assistant Chief Instructors, Principal Instructors, Chief Technologists, Principal Technologists, amongst others.
About 111 junior staff were equally affected in the exercise which came into force with immediate effect and which attracted wide jubilations.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) and Non- Academic Staff Unions of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) welcomed the development with the suspension on Monday of their week-long sit-down industrial action embarked upon to agitate the release of the promotion list.
In his reaction, the Chairman of NASU, Comrade Luke Nweke expressed his profound gratitude to the incumbent administration of Professor Godwin Onu, the Rector of the institution for his friendly policy to better the lots of workers.
According to Nweke, “Workers are happy with the development and we are convinced that it will encourage productivity. We are not here to fight the management but we were not happy over the delay in communicating to us the outcome of council meetings where some issues were ratified”.
“We don’t want to have friction with the management because it pays to work cordially because we are in control of over 60 percent of the staff population and as such we can give them maximum support. We have all learnt our lessons and we are happy with the management,” he stated.
Also reacting to the development, ASUP Chairman, Dr. Onyeka Uwakwe commended efforts of the management over the welfare of staff and expressed the hope that the current administration would leave no stone unturned in its quest to turn around the institution.
Earlier in his remarks, the Rector of the institute, Onu told newsmen that his administration was sensitive to the plight of workers and had no reason to delay their welfare packages.
“I have the welfare of workers in mind and that explains why I paid them government approved new salary structure from our internally generated revenue (IGR) to keep their spirit on”.
“This is the first time an administration is doing about eight projects at a time and at the same time carrying along welfare of workers. The slight delay in the release of their promotion emanated from Heads of Departments that delayed submission of their appraisal forms”, Onu further explained.
The Rector disclosed that the management had already distributed to all the departments fresh appraisal forms ahead of next year’s 2010 promotional exercise, to avoid another round of delay, adding that they are also making efforts to liquidate seven percent allowance owed academic staff to encourage productivity.
He however noted that they are very strict on their disciplinary measures to ensure that quality education is delivered to the students, adding that the staff already have the message that corrupt officers on campus would not be spared for any reason now that the institution cherishes its staff and wants to make the best out of them.
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