6th December, 2024
By Paul Dada
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), has asked the Ogun State Government to implement the N77,000 new minimum wage approved by Governor Dapo Abiodun two months ago.
The union also called on the government to increase the N5 million monthly subvention that the state-owned polytechnics have been receiving for 15 years.
ASUP said this at a press conference held on Thursday at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta. The press conference was addressed by the ASUP Coordinator for the South-West, Nurudeen Masopa. The union chairmen of the six state-owned polytechnics were also present at the event.
The six polytechnics are thr Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State Institute of Technology, Igbesa, Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, Ijebu Igbo, D S Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic, Itori, Ogun State ICT Polytechnic, Saapade and the Ogun State Polytechnic of Allied Health and Sciences.
Speaking, Masopa said, “Part of what has proved to be inimical to the progress of polytechnic education in Ogun State is inadequate funding.
“Ideally, the responsibility of funding tertiary institutions lies on the proprietors. This is not the case in Ogun State Polytechnics.
“It is worthy of mentioning that most Polytechnics in Ogun State are enjoying the sum of N5,000,000 only as monthly subvention which is grossly inadequate in the face of current economic realities.
“There is also non-implementation of payment of the new minimum wage in all Ogun State-owned Polytechnics contrary to its approval by the Federal and state governments.
“Another challenge is equally the non-implementation of the 25%/35% salary increment as approved by the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) in Ogun state-owned Polytechnics and the continued withholding of arrears since January 2023.
