Fidelis David in Akure
Workers of Ondo State -owned Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo on Monday took to the streets to protest over the state government's refusal to implement the new national minimum wage approved by the Federal Government.
The protest, organised by the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP) and supported by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), was staged at the institution’s main gate in Owo.
Addressing Journalists, SSANIP Chairman of the institution, Comrade Saka Olokungboye Nurudeen, lamented what he described as years of neglect of the polytechnic by successive Ondo State governments.
“It is no longer news that staff of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo have been reduced to second-class citizens in Ondo State. While other workers in the state enjoy the new minimum wage, our members are still trapped on N18,000, a wage that became obsolete since 2019,” he said.
Nurudeen recalled that when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the new national minimum wage into law in 2024, Ondo State commenced payment in October of the same year but excluded workers of the polytechnic.
“For over 15 months now, other workers in Ondo State have been receiving the new wage, but staff of this institution were deliberately left out. Several appeals by unions on campus have yielded no result. This is unjust and unacceptable,” he added.
The union leader described the N18,000 minimum wage as “grossly inadequate” in the face of rising inflation and harsh economic realities.
“Our members can barely feed their families. Many of them have become objects of ridicule in their communities. Landlords now see them as financially unstable. This is an embarrassment to workers who serve in a higher institution,” Nurudeen said.
Also speaking, Chairman of ASUP in the institution, Comrade Arikawe Ade, called on Lucky Aiyedatiwa to intervene urgently in the matter.
“We appeal to the Governor to rise to the occasion and correct this injustice. The minimum wage is not a privilege; it is a law. Our members deserve the same treatment as other workers in the state,” Ade said.
The unions accused the state government of making what they termed “endless empty promises” while workers continue to suffer.
“Ondo State belongs to all of us. We cannot continue to watch our members denied their legitimate entitlements while others enjoy theirs in the same state,” the SSANIP chairman declared.
The protesters insisted that the action would remain peaceful but firm until their demands are met by the management and the state government.
Also, the institution's SSANIP Executive Committee, in a joint statement, said the protest was aimed at compelling the authorities to immediately implement the new minimum wage for workers of the institution.
“For the people united can never be defeated. Our struggle is legitimate, and we will continue until justice is done,” the statement read.
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