Staff members at Rufus Giwa Polytechnic in Owo, Ondo State, took to the streets on Wednesday in a protest over the non-payment of salaries and allowances spanning ten months.
Represented by the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics, the aggrieved workers blocked the institution’s main gate during the demonstration.
Chanting solidarity songs and brandishing leaves, the protesters expressed their dissatisfaction with both the institution and the government.
Their demands included the immediate payment of all outstanding salaries and the implementation of the N35,000 wage increment for polytechnic staff, aligning with the Federal Government’s directives.
Nafiu Okoro, the Chairman of SSANIP, highlighted that the irregularities in salary disbursement had tragically resulted in the untimely demise of some workers within the polytechnic.
Furthermore, Okoro revealed that the institution’s management owed workers over ten months’ worth of salaries.
“All non-teaching staff comprising of NASU and SSANIP agreed that the government should pay all our outstanding salaries running to over 10 months.
“The N35,000 wage being paid to workers as palliatives in Ondo State should be extended to the institution,” he said.
The state Commissioner for Education Science and Technology, Mr Femi Agagu, was not available for reaction as his phone rang.
Also, text message sent to him had not been replied to as of the time of filing this report.
