RUGIPO Strike: Akeredolu Blames Dwindling Federal Allocations For Unpaid Arrears

The Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has said that lecturers of the state-owned Polytechnic, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, RUGIPO, went on strike without a formal notice to the state government.

He also said the poor funding of the institution and other government agencies was due to the shortfalls in the allocation from the federation account.

The governor spoke on Wednesday in Akure while receiving students of the Polytechnic who held a peaceful protest at his office while seeking a quick resolution of the industrial dispute.

Mr. Akeredolu said he had called the leadership of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, for a meeting with a view to resolving the problem.

According to him, what comes from the federal government is not enough to pay workers salaries and subventions to government agencies and institutions.

Mr Akeredolu enjoined the students to play their own part by paying their school fees so that the government could pay lecturers.

The President of the institution’s Student Union Government, Temitayo Ayeduyo, urged the government to dialogue with the lecturers as quickly as possible so that academic activities could be restored.

The lecturers on Monday began an indefinite strike to protest the state government’s refusal to pay an outstanding N2.1 billion subvention to the institution.

The Chairman of ASUP, Rafiu Ijawoye, had told journalists in Akure that the amount resulted from the slash of the subvention to the institution first, by the Olusegun Mimiko led administration and recently, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

He said the cut in the subvention had caused the inability of the school to pay the arrears of N1.7 billion unpaid salaries of all staff in the institution in the last 10 years.

The Union is also demanding the immediate payment of 16 months consolidated Polytechnic Salary Structure, CONPOCASS, allowance which it said was long overdue.

Source: Premium Times