Tony Osauzo, Benin
Workers of the defunct College of Education, Ekiadolor, Edo State (now Tayo Akpata University), have cried out to Governor Godwin Obaseki to pay their nine-months accumulated salaries to enable them to survive the biting effect of the partial lockdown of the state occasioned by COVID-19 crisis.
The state government had shut down some state-owned tertiary institutions and set up a probe panel to investigate the status of the affected institutions.
Some members of the institutions who on behalf of other workers cried to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at its Secretariat in Benin City also faulted the state government’s claim that it is not owing workers.
Chairman, College of Education Academic Staff, (COEASU), Fred Omonuwa, who spoke on behalf of the affected workers, appealed to the state government to save workers of the institution from an untimely death as a result of their unpaid salaries.
They lamented that the majority of the workers could no longer cater for the basic needs of their families, with others being ejected from their rented apartments by their landlords.
“Very recently, Edo State government set up a panel to investigate these institutions including their financial status. We are aware they have submitted part of the reports before the pandemic. They have finished public hearing on Ekiadolor.
“However, we are more worried due to the lockdown; Edo State government still owes us up to 9 months. We had expected that the government should at least pay us for months to alleviate our stress.
“Because of this lack of payment, our people are dying and suffering particularly in this lockdown. Our expectation is that the government should be sensitive to our plights.
“Every day, we hear that government is not owing and that they have paid workers’ salaries up till date. Are we not government workers? We are very disappointed. The government should do something,” Omonuwa said.
The state Commissioner for Education, Hon Jimoh Ijegbai, when contacted over the complaints of the workers, said the state government had not defaulted in remitting its monthly subvention to the institution.
He, however, promised to get further clarification from the Provost of the College of Education, Ekiadolor.
“I am not aware if they are owed up to 9 months. One thing I know is that the state government remits its subvention to the institution every month. However, I will find out and get back to you.
On his part, the provost of the institution, Dr Friday Eduwen, corroborated the workers’ agitation and said the monthly N66m subvention by the state government was no longer enough since the college was shut down since 2016.
He explained that prior to the closure, the institution had augmented salary payment by 35 per cent from school fees and Internally Generated Revenue.
He, however, appealed to the state government to either increase the subvention to the school or revert to the old order where students will be recalled back to campus.
“Before now the government subvention to the school was 65 per cent and we raised 35 per cent balance through IGR. Since there was no admission from 2016 till date, there is no revenue to make up the difference. What we get is still the old subvention.
“Our appeal is that government should increase the subvention so that we can pay or go back to the old order. Our monthly wage bill is N90m and we get N66m monthly. We are also responsible for payment of pensioners while other institutions are supported with N20m to pay pension but we get nothing”, Dr Eduwen said.