Prof. Johnson Pongri, the Provost of the College of Education, Hong, has said the institution had operated on zero budgetary allocation for capital projects for the past four years.
Pongri said the institution had been surviving on its epileptic running cost of N1 million, adding that the institution lacks other sources of revenue generation.
Pongri however said the giant stride recorded in the area of infrastructural development was from the Tertiary Education Fund.
He added that the existence of the institution was at the mercy of TETFUND, commending it for their enormous support.
Pongri stated this during the matriculation ceremony of set 2015/2016 academic session, where the college matriculates over 4,000 students.
Some of the students who spoke to reporters commended the Provost for bringing the institution back to life through his visionary leadership and prudent management of resources.
Pongri also expressed confidence in the present administration of Governor Jibrilla Bindow of Adamawa State in the area of infrastructural development
He said the institution was hoping that the giant strides recorded by Bindow in the area of physical infrastructure would benefit the collage.
He said: “We have operated a zero budgetary allocation for capital project in the last four years.
“We sustain the institution from the little school fees paid by the students and the epileptic running cost given to us by the state government.
“We are actually confident that the state government under the leadership of Jibrilla Bindow will make a difference in this area of non-allocation of funds for the development of the collage.
“We are hopeful that his flair for infrastructural development would address the challenge of basic infrastructure in the collage.
“However, the TETFUND must be commended for their adequate intervention in the provision of infrastructure in the collage.
“On our part, we have been prudent in handling TETFUND’s allocation and you can see massive development without any kobo from the state government.
“They have been magnanimous to us and as Oliver Twist we will continue to ask for more.”
Pongri said the security situation in the college was guaranteed as over 20 soldiers had been deployed to the collage for the safety of lives and property.
He said: “We had been adversely affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
“We closed down the college in February 2014 and opened in June 2015.
“That made us to miss a whole session.
“We thank God that today we are back and normal academic activities are in their top gear.
“The Nigerian Army here has deployed over 20 of its personnel to our school and we are sleeping with all eyes closed.
“We want to use this medium to inform the general public that the security of lives is 100 per cent guaranteed in this institution.”
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