Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
Students of the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, on Monday, staged a peaceful protest over alleged distortion of their second semester examination.
The protesting students, who carried placards with various inscriptions, said the ongoing strike action by the academic staff of the institution over non-payment of their four and half months salary by the state government, made their lecturers to boycott second semester exam.
The students’ protest, which reportedly paralysed commercial activities at Saw Mill area, where the institution was located, also caused traffic gridlock around the area, while traffic gridlock was created while the pandemonium lasted.
The Student Union Speaker, Comrade Ajamiu Mathew, who spoke on behalf of the students, called on the state government to pay more attention to plight of the institution.
Meanwhile, the Kwara State Government says it has released the sum of N125million as June 2018 subvention to all the state-owned tertiary institutions.
The State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mr. Abdullahi Alkinla, who disclosed this to newsmen in Ilorin on Monday, said that Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed had approved the release of the funds since last Wednesday.
According to him, immediately the approval was given, the State Ministry of Finance swung into action to ensure that the institutions get the money before Friday last week.
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He, however, explained that the banks could not process the payment of the money until Monday morning, adding that the funds had dropped into the accounts of the institutions.
Alkinla further said that the Provost of the College of Education, Ilorin, Dr. Yusuf Abdulraheem had early this morning confirmed to him the receipt of the institution’s share of the money.
He therefore stressed that the reported protest by students of College of Education, Ilorin was unnecessary as government had made good its pledge to make the money available
The Commissioner said that the State government used to disburse subvention to the institutions on a quarterly basis but had to change it to monthly in order to assist them meet their monthly salary obligation.
He explained that with the release of subvention for the payment of June salary, the institutions now have only one month outstanding salary to clear, which is for July.
Alkinla expressed optimism that the July subvention to the institutions would be released soon.