Learning activities inside the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic in Ondo State have been brought to a standstill as staff members have shelved their duties in protest over unpaid wages by the state government.
Aside from demanding for unpaid salary arrears, the agitated staff also requested for the implementation of the Federal Government approved N80,000 minimum wage.
The aggrieved workers, under the aegis of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), staged a peaceful protest on the institution’s campus, demanding immediate attention to their plights.
The workers, who carried placards with inscriptions such as “We are hungry, pay our six months’ salaries,” “Mr. Governor, please implement our 2025 budget,” and “Acting Rector, clear our 2022, 2023, and 2024 promotion arrears,” lamented the failure of the state government to pay their six months’ salary arrears and implement the national minimum wage.
Addressing journalists, the NASU Chairman, Julius Olugbenga-Aro, and his SSANIP counterpart, Saka Olokungboye on Wednesday, described the situation as unbearable, stating that their members were facing severe hardship.
“This protest is to register our displeasure over the non-payment of our six months’ salaries and the refusal of the state government to implement the national minimum wage for our members,” Olugbenga-Aro stated.
While acknowledging Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s recent developmental efforts on the campus, including the approval for the institution’s conversion to a university, the labour leaders appealed to him to immediately authorize the payment of outstanding salaries and fully implement the institution’s 2025 budget.
They also warned that continued delay could lead to a prolonged disruption of academic activities in the institution.
