Staff unions of Oyo State-owned tertiary institutions have urged the Governor Seyi Makinde led government to upwardly review the special grant of N200 million monthly set aside by the state government to offset its accumulated arrears of 2016 and 2017 salaries.
Noting that the current arrangement established by the Governor Abiola Ajimobi led government was such that the arrears will be defrayed over the course of 32 months, the staff unions argued that an increase in the current amount will allow the arrears to be defrayed in a shorter possible period.
This call was contained in a communiqué signed by Chairman, Joint Action Committee (JAC), Mr. Babatunde Adeniyi at the end of their meeting held at Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo.
It would be recalled that the immediate past government had estimated its total salary indebtedness to the six state-owned tertiary institutions to amount to N6.8billion representing outstanding salaries spanning January 2016 to December 2017 and set aside N200 million monthly special grant to offset the outstanding arrears, effective March 2019.
While making a call for an increase in the special grant to shorten the clearing of 2016 and 2017 arrears, JAC held that even accumulated arrears of 2018 and 2019 was not captured in the current arrangement.
The unions however said they were buoyed at the commitment of the Makinde government to the education sector with is the sustenance of 100 percent monthly salary payment to tertiary institutions, the abolition of all fees at all public secondary schools in Oyo State and resolve to commit 10 percent of budgetary allocation to the education sector.
The communiqué read, “The demonstration of sincere commitment to the development of education sector at all levels is evident in the immediate abolishment of all fees at all public secondary schools in Oyo State and the sustenance of the just- restored 100% monthly salary in the tertiary institutions as well as the monthly payment of accumulated salary arrears.
“It is noteworthy that the arrangements put in place by the last regime are such that the arrears will be totally defrayed in at least 33 months and the arrangements do not capture the accumulated arrears of 2018 & 2019.
‘While expressing readiness to identify with and encourage any/all steps that will improve the standard of Education in Oyo State, we humbly request that the amount being released for the payment of arrears be increased to an amount that will allow the arrears to be completely paid in the shorter possible period than the planned 33months that was arranged by the last regime.
“Sir, we shall also be very grateful if you use your good offices to capture the yet-to-be-captured 2018/2019 arrears.”
Credit: Nigerian Tribune
