Ondo Varsity Workers Protest Unpaid N35,000 Wage Award at Convocation

Workers of Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State, protested against the non-payment of the N35,000 wage award by the state government. Despite the government starting to pay state civil servants the wage allowance since November 2023, workers of tertiary institutions were left unpaid. This led to an indefinite strike by the staff of the institution.

The protest, organized by the Joint Action Committee of all Tertiary Institutions, saw members chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards with various inscriptions demanding their entitlements. The protest included members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, the Non-Academic Staff Union, and the National Association of Academic Technologists from Ondo State-owned tertiary institutions.

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Speaking at the protest, the state JAC Chairman of the institution, Dayo Temola, expressed displeasure over the alleged inability of the government to pay the wage award and some other allowances. He demanded the implementation of the 2019 minimum wage and an increase in the monthly subvention of the school by 100 per cent.

It was reported that the state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who was in the institution for the convocation, appealed to the angry workers and scheduled a meeting with the union leaders of the university on Tuesday.