Olufemi Atoyebi, Ibadan
Members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki chapter, have appealed to the Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, to come to their aid by paying their 10 months’ outstanding salaries.
Chairman of the union, Muyiwa Olawumi, told our correspondent that members of the union were suffering financially with some of them being forced to withdraw their children from schools because of their inability to pay their tuition.
He lamented that the state government’s decision to reduce subvention to the state-owned tertiary institution to 25 per cent per month had crippled the financial capacity of the school to pay salaries and complete some developmental projects.
The school had recently got autonomy to operate as an independent institution.
He said, “Members of the union passionately appeal to Governor Ajimobi led-administration in the state to, as a matter of urgency, pay all our outstanding salaries and arrears. We also call on the state government to adequately fund the young institution and other tertiary institutions in the state. We want the governor to release the take-off grant for Oke-Ogun Polytechnic. Our members can no longer afford to pay their children’s school fees while the sick among us cannot go to the hospital for treatment because there is no money.”
Asked if the union had approached the governor to table its demands, Olawumi said that several options had been exploited to make the government understand the predicament of the members of staff and the school with no success. He said the ASUP members could resolve to embark on strike soon. He added that the union had directed members to embark on three days prayer and fasting with the hope that the problem would be solved soonest.
Punch
