Date: 2020-01-17

Committee of Unions in Tertiary Institutions (CUTI), an amalgam of teachers in Kwara State Colleges of Education, has faulted the claim of former Governor Abdulfatahi Ahmed that his administration did not owe any workers on the state's payroll.

Comrade Imam Abdulkadir, chairman of CUTI, said in a statement issued in Ilorin that the claim by the former Governor was false because he left at least seven months of unpaid salary amounting to N750m to the teachers across the colleges. The body, however, commended Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for settling the arrears as well as getting their courses re-accredited.

The statement read: "The attention of Committee of Unions in Tertiary Institutions ( CUTI) has been drawn to the claim by former Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed through his media aide that the immediate past administration was up to date in payment of state civil servants salary before he left office, particularly the state-owned Tertiary Institutions.

"To this end, the Unions wish to reiterate that the claims by the former Governor Ahmed through his aide Dr. Muhideen Akorede was false and misleading. The state-owned tertiary institutions were owed seven months' salaries to the tune of seven hundred and fifty million naira. Equally, the policy of the immediate past administration to commercialise education in the state impacted negatively on both the staff and students of the institutions.

"It would be recalled that failure of the immediate past administration to pay salaries of the state Colleges of Education and CAILS led to the industrial action embarked upon by the institutions three months to the expiration of the Governor Ahmed's administration.

"Despite the industrial disharmony between the Unions and the then government, the said 7 months subventions and accreditation funds were not released to the Colleges until Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq assumed office.

"It is noteworthy to say that Governor Abdulrazaq, as at September 2019, completed the payment of all outstanding salary arrears owed the Colleges by the immediate past administration. Similarly, Governor Abdulrazaq has presently released accreditation funds to all the state-owned tertiary institutions. It is equal of note to state that His Excellency has also absorbed staffers of Demonstration schools of the Colleges who are owed 37-month salaries by the immediate past administration in the state. The general public should consider the claim by the former Governor as not only misleading but false."