Workers of the Ondo State-owned Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTHEC) in Okitipupa staged a protest on Monday over the non-payment of the N35,000 wage award by the state government. The protest, led by the Joint Action Committee (JAC), nearly disrupted the 2nd convocation event of the institution during Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s visit to the university for the ceremony.
The protesters, carrying placards with various inscriptions such as, “All we are saying, pay us wage award; “We deserve N35,000 wage award, pay us”; “Wage award is our right don’t deny us,”; “We patronize the same market, pay us N35,000 wage award,” expressed their dissatisfaction with the state government's attitude towards the plight of the tertiary institution workers.
Dayo Temola, the Chairman of JAC, voiced his disappointment over the state government's refusal to pay the wage award and other allowances, stating that the institution's workers were suffering. He said, “Our joint demand is that they should pay us our N35,000 wage award that had been paid to all categories of workers in the state. We are also demanding the implementation of the 2019 minimum wage."
Temola further lamented that despite being in 2024, they have not received the 2019 minimum wage. He also called for a 100 per cent increase in the monthly subvention of the school, criticising the government for promising a billion naira on paper but only providing N63 million, which is far lower than the wage bills of the university.
Amid the protest, Governor Aiyedatiwa announced the release of a capital grant of N1.2bn in the 2024 budget to OAUSTHEC for the speedy completion of abandoned buildings of the School of Science and others. He also promised to facilitate the completion of the abandoned hostel buildings being funded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) without further delay.
During the convocation ceremony, Governor Aiyedatiwa commissioned the new Central Engineering Workshop Complex in the institution and announced an automatic employment offer from the Ondo State Government to the Best Graduating Student, Adedayo Taiwo Janet. He commended the grand vision of the institution's founding fathers for their foresight and commitment to the development of the school.
In his remarks, the pro-chancellor of the university, Prof. Adebo Adesomoju, appreciated Governor Aiyedatiwa for directing the continuation of the ongoing construction of some internal roads in the institution.