Contrary to claims by the Oyo State Government that all category of staff in its civil and public service get paid on the 25th of the same month, According to OYOINSIGHT.COM exclusively report that, that has not been the case with staff of the state tertiary institutions.
Sources told Oyoinsight newspaper that since late last year, workers in The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa, The Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki, as well as Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo and the Oyo State College of Education, Lanlate have since not been paid as and when due, with their salaries even extending to the following month.
“For instance, while the workers received their January salary on 1st February, their February pay came on 7th March, while the March salary hasn’t yet been paid as at close of work on Thursday, 31 March, 2022, meaning that, like the other months this year, the March pay, will also extend to this new month,” another source hinted.
The delay in the payment of salary,” said the source, “actually began sometimes in September, 2021 when the salary for that month wasn’t paid until almost mid-October.
Another worrying development, is the slash in the salaries of these workers, beginning from February, 2021 with almost all the institutions receiving 80 per cent subventions, contrary to the claim by government of defraying their total 100 per cent.”
Hardest hit in this financial downturn, OYOINSIGHT.COM further learnt, are the workers of the Oyo State College of Education, Lanlate, whose institution is by far the least in terms of financial muscle, hence, unlike others who are finding means of adding the balance or even finding palliatives to succour their staff, it is unable to do anything.
Unconfirmed report even has it that their 12-months minimum wage arrears, already collected by staff of other institutions, and which Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, promised to defray within four weeks of his visit to the College on Friday, 11th February, 2021, hasn’t been paid six weeks after!
Investigations by OYOINSIGHT.COM revealed problems with the payment of salaries of tertiary institutions’ workers in the state may not be unconnected with the state’s humongous debt profile, which may have substantially reduced her monthly allocation. The state government, on the strength of which, may have resorted to rationing staff salaries, beginning with tertiary institutions’ workers – a sector whose number is believed to be insignificant as to have any potential political backlash.
“Can government try this with teachers or local government workers?”, an agitated staff in one of the tertiary institutions retorted.
Another wondered if the institutions were back to the Ajimobi-era, when they were paid only 25 per cent salaries.
Except a miracle happens, tertiary institution workers in the employ of the Oyo state government may have to tighten their financial belts, as government battles financial crunch occasioned by the dwindling economy and a huge debt overhang.
