The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) in Ogun State has decried the total neglect and poor funding of polytechnics across the state.
The JAC stated that the state government, over the past 15 years, has failed to increase the N5 million monthly subvention allocated to polytechnics despite the prevailing economic challenges.
Additionally, the committee demanded the implementation of the new minimum wage, which Governor Dapo Abiodun had approved for workers in the state.
The Zonal Coordinator of ASUP Zone C, Comrade Nurudeen Masopa, expressed these concerns during a press conference held at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) in Abeokuta. He questioned why the staff of polytechnics in the state have yet to benefit from the new minimum wage, two months after its implementation.
Masopa noted that many state-owned polytechnics would have been deplorable if not for the periodic interventions provided by TETFUND.
TRIBUNE reports that the state-owned polytechnics include 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 Ogun State Polytechnic of Allied Health and Sciences.
Masopa emphasised that the proprietors of these polytechnics constitutionally must ensure the institutions are properly funded.
“Part of what has proved to be inimical to the progress of polytechnic education in Ogun State is inadequate funding,” Comrade Nurudeen Masopa said.
“Ideally, the responsibility of funding tertiary institutions lies on the proprietors. This is not the case in Ogun State Polytechnics.
“It’s worth mentioning that most Ogun State polytechnics are receiving only N5,000,000 as monthly subvention, which is grossly inadequate in the face of current economic realities.
“There is also the non-implementation of the 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 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,” he added.
