Oyo Tertiary Institutions Protest Consultant Engagement and Casualisation
Mr. Lawal expressed concern over the financial burden imposed by consultants, citing that they collect 10% of internally generated revenue from each institution annually, amounting to approximately N500 million. He questioned the necessity of consultants, especially when other tertiary institutions in Nigeria operate independently without their involvement.
Binye-lum 
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of unions representing Oyo State Government-owned tertiary institutions has appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde to discontinue the engagement of consultants to manage the institutions. Kola Lawal, a member of JAC and chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, made the appeal during an interview on Thursday.
Under the umbrella of JAC, academic and non-academic staff members initiated a three-day warning strike on Wednesday to highlight their grievances with the state government. The affected institutions include The Polytechnic, Ibadan; The Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki; Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa; Oyo State College of Education, Lanlate; and Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora.
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Mr. Lawal expressed concern over the financial burden imposed by consultants, citing that they collect 10% of internally generated revenue from each institution annually, amounting to approximately N500 million. He questioned the necessity of consultants, especially when other tertiary institutions in Nigeria operate independently without their involvement.
Additionally, the union leader raised issues regarding salary augmentation from the institutions' internally generated revenue (IGR) and the casualisation of workers. He urged for the regularization of casual workers' appointments, some of whom earn between N30,000 and N60,000 monthly.
Among the demands presented by the unions are the implementation of a 25/35 per cent salary increment, commencement of the process to constitute governing councils for the institutions, and addressing the shortage of manpower. Mr. Lawal noted that the absence of governing councils had hindered the promotion of eligible staff.
The warning strike, which began on Wednesday, is scheduled to conclude on Friday. Mr. Lawal emphasized that the unions' intention is not to antagonize the state government but to seek resolutions to their demands. The ongoing strike underscores the unions' call for reforms and improved working conditions within Oyo State tertiary institutions.
