A lecturer at Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic in Port Harcourt, Solomon Tamunotonye, has raised concerns about the ongoing withholding of his salaries, which has now extended to 20 months, allegedly by the institution’s management.
This issue stems from a previous suspension of Tamunotonye by the polytechnic’s management.
According to the polytechnic’s Registrar, Chris Woke, the suspension was imposed for alleged “harassment and exploitation” of a 200-level female student named Blessing Audu.
Subsequently, the polytechnic referred the lecturer‘s case to a committee for investigation and recommendations.
However, Tamunotonye expressed frustration, stating that the management had neither disclosed the committee’s findings nor made them public.
Lecturer refuses apology, claims innocence amid salary suspension
He also claimed that he was asked to resume work and provide a written apology, which he refused to do, maintaining that the allegations against him were false.
As a result of his refusal to apologize and his insistence on his innocence, the polytechnic stopped paying his salaries.
Tamunotonye explained, “I have been having a running battle with my polytechnic that borders on false allegations, which the polytechnic put in the social and traditional media sometime on January 7, 2022…
They suspended me for three months and set up a committee to investigate the matter.”
He added, “I actually resumed work but refused to write an apology letter because I have not seen the need for an apology letter because I didn’t commit the offense I was accused of.”
Tamunotonye called on Nigerians, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and civil society groups for assistance, stating that he had resorted to doing menial jobs to make ends meet.
The polytechnic’s Registrar, Chris Woke, responded briefly, stating, “Well, the matter is in court. So long as the matter is in court, I can’t say much. The young man (referring to Tamunotonye) should know what is good for him.”
