Academic and non-academic staff of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, on Monday protested the alleged non-implementation of the new national minimum wage by the state government.
The protest, staged under the aegis of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, paralysed activities as workers barricaded the main gate of the institution, wielding placards and chanting solidarity songs.
The workers said the protest was triggered by the exclusion of polytechnic staff from the implementation of the new minimum wage, while other state workers have reportedly been receiving the N73,000 wage since November 2024.
They also accused the state government of sidelining polytechnic staff in the distribution of welfare packages enjoyed by other categories of workers.
Speaking, the SSANIP Chairman of the institution, Saka Olokungboye, claimed that staff of the state-owned polytechnic were still being paid the old N18,000 minimum wage.
He stated that repeated engagements with relevant state government authorities on implementing the new wage had failed to yield results, leaving workers frustrated amid rising living costs and economic hardship.
Olokungboye said, “Our members are struggling to survive under conditions that no longer reflect present economic realities. The old wage is no longer sustainable. We are urging the government to treat polytechnic staff on equal footing with other public servants in the state.”
“We are only demanding what is rightfully ours under the law,” he added, calling on the government to urgently implement the new wage to ease workers’ hardship.
In the same vein, the ASUP Chairman, Arikawe Ade, appealed to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to urgently intervene and address what he described as injustice against his members.
He emphasised that the minimum wage is a legal requirement and should not be selectively enforced.
The protesters vowed to sustain the agitation until the new wage is fully extended to the staff of the polytechnic.
When contacted, the state Commissioner for Education, Prof Igbekele Ajibefun, said the matter would be looked into as the workers had been invited for a meeting.
He said, “We have invited them into a meeting and listened to their plights and demands. We agreed that the institution’s gate should be open for academic and administrative activities.
“I told them to allow peace to reign and to allow us to present their demands to Mr Governor. So, their grievances will be looked into and addressed in no distant time.”