Edo State Polytechnic staff, (Usen), staged a protest against a reported non-payment of salaries by the state government for the last 13 months.
The staff barricaded the entrance into the Edo State Government House on Tuesday.
They asked to communicate with Governor Godwin Obaseki and stated they would not stop the protest until their dues were addressed.
They complained about the alleged non-implementation of the 65 years retirement age for personnel of the polytechnic and the absence of a pension scheme since 2002.
They also decried about the fact that the school had been starved of funds, lacking basic infrastructure for teaching and learning.
In August of 2017 Obaseki had created a committee to investigate the polytechnic’s management of its funding, admission and staffing, as part of efforts to revamp the institution.
The report given by Prof. Rose Egonmwan, in November 2017, prompted Obaseki to say “We do need a state-owned polytechnic in Edo. But it should function the way it ought to. We need to have the right people and the requisite faculties to deliver quality education so that our children will have the right training.”
However, Mr. Paul Aziegbemhin the Chairman of ASUP in the institution said the workers had not seen any improvement in their care.
He stated “We have not heard anything from the government so far. We have been on this issue since May 2, 2017. We met with the governor and he said he would pay before Christmas (2017).
“As we speak, there has not been any payment. So, why will people not be restive? If we are not attended to by the government, we will come back tomorrow. We will resume and close work here at the Government House.”
Dele Okomayin the Chairman of SSANIP in the Polytechnic, and Charles Omokaro his NASU counterpart stated that the government’s inability to pay the outstanding benefits had affected the workers subjecting them to hardship.
Okomayin said, “Right now, most of us find it difficult to feed. Most of us have taken our children away from private to public schools.
“Even in the public schools, we find it very difficult to buy the things our children need. We lost one of our members in May 2017 and he is still in the mortuary; he has not been buried because of this financial problem.
“We are begging the governor to fulfil his promise. We are begging the governor to include us in the bailout funds so that the students can enjoy the benefits of education.”
All efforts to reach the state governor proved abortive.
The Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie attempts, were also unsuccessful.