Date: 2015-07-16

The Chairman of the Non- Academic Staff Union of College of Education, College of Education, Ilorin, Mr. Najeem Anas, on Wednesday, said that six members of the union had died between January and June because of financial difficulties arising from non-payment of their salary arrears.

Also workers of some Kwara State Government owned tertiary institutions have decried the non-payment of their salaries for about four months.

The workers who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation told our correspondent in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital on Wednesday, that they had not received their salaries since March. They stated that this had subjected them to untold hardships.

They stated they could no longer foot the bills of their basic needs including feeding their families, paying their children’s and dependant’s school fees as well as their families’ medical bills.

Some of the state owned tertiary institutions are Kwara State University; Kwara State Polytechnic; College of Education, Ilorin; College of Education, Oro; Kwara State College of Education (Technical), Lafiagi; Kwara State College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies, and Kwara State College of Health Technology, Offa.

The Public Relations Officer, Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Mr. Abdulkadir Yunus, said workers of the institution had been receiving their salaries promptly, adding that they had been paid even their June salaries.

But our correspondent confirmed from sources that KWASU and College of Education, Ilorin, are among the state owned institutions that their workers are being owed.

The Head, Office of the University Relations, KWASU, Hajia Hamidat Sulyman, when contacted said KWASU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, would respond to our correspondent’s enquiry. Our correspondent gathered that Na’Allah was out of town and so his response was not forthcoming as of the time of filing the story.

Anas alleged that the state government stopped subventions to the college since March.

He stated that the development had inflicted untold hardships on the workers.

“From January to June this year we have lost about six of our members due to lack of funds. Some of them are on medication and because of lack of money to buy drugs some died suddenly. “We do record at least one death per month, though we have not recorded any this July. As a result of that we have gone spiritual and we have counselled one another to take things easy.”

He said the institution’s management was only able to pay them 40 per cent of their salaries for March, April, May and June.

He stated that though   the non-payment of their full salaries was affecting the morale of staff, they were neither planning to engage in street protest, nor strike, but were still waiting patiently for the remaining 60 per cent of their salaries for four months to be paid.

He said NASU believed in dialogue and not in confrontation. He added that they would continue to engage in dialogue, hoping that by continuing on that, the state government and the college management would reason with them and pay them.

He pleaded with the government to pay them the outstanding salaries since the state government had received a bailout from the Federal Government.

The Provost of the College of Education, Ilorin, Dr. Isiaka Opobiyi, said the state government was mindful of the critical situation the workers were faced with.

He stated that the state government was working assiduously to address the situation and remove the plight of the suffering workers.