Ekiti Varsity Shut Down as Staff Protest Non-payment of Benefits, Subventions

Olakiitan Victor in Ado Ekiti

It was a total shutdown at the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti on Monday as unions trooped out to protest against the non-payment of six months’ subventions, salary arrears as well as cooperative deductions, among others, by the Ayo Fayose-led government.

The visibly livid staff prevented vehicular and human movements in and out of the institution as they placed the main gate under lock and key.

Cars belonging to the staff were parked outside as many of the staff and students loitered about in front of the school gate.

The unions whose members participated in the protest are National Association of Area Technologists (NAT), Non-Accademic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), among others.

According to them, contrary to the government’s view that the institution’s recent investment in some ventures to shore up its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has made it capable of taking care of paying salaries, emoluments and remunerations, all is not well as the management has only been able to pay a paltry 20% of the staff’s salary arrears since March this year.

They maintained that the management had failed to live up to its responsibilities due to the failure of the state government to pay subventions since January this year.

Further details later