The Kwara Government says it has released the sum of N125 million as June 2018 subvention to all the state-owned tertiary institutions.
The State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mr Abdullahi Alkinla, who disclosed this to newsmen in Ilorin on Monday, said that Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed approved the release of the funds on Wednesday.
Alkinla said that immediately the approval was given, the State Ministry of Finance swung into action to ensure that the institutions got the money before Friday.
The commissioner spoke against the backdrop of Monday’s protest by students of the College of Education, Ilorin, over the non-payment of the salaries of their lecturers.
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He, however, explained that the banks could not process the payment of the money before Monday morning, adding that the funds had started dropping into the accounts of the institutions.
The commissioner said that the Provost of the College of Education, Ilorin, Dr Yusuf Abdulraheem, had on Monday morning confirmed to him the receipt of the institution’s share of the money.
He, therefore, appealed to students of College of Education, Ilorin, to suspend their protest because it was unnecessary as government had made good its pledge to make the money available.
The commissioner said that the state government had in the past disbursed subventions to the institutions on a quarterly basis.
He said government, however, had to make it monthly in order to assist them meet their monthly salary obligation.
The commissioner explained that with the release of the subvention for the payment of June salary, the institutions now have only July salary to pay.
Alkinla expressed optimism that the July subvention to the institutions would be released soon.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the police had to disperse the protesting students with tear gas on Monday.
The students, who alleged that their lecturers were being owed six months pay by the state government, said the situation had denied them the opportunity to commence their semester examination.
The students started their protest from their school premises, marched through Ibrahim Taiwo road and then headed to the Government House to lodge their complaints before their path was blocked by policemen at Unity Roundabout.
The students were originally scheduled to start their semester examination on Monday. (NAN)