Rufus Giwa Poly: A school where workers borrow to survive over unpaid salaries

Rufus Giwa Polytechnic which was formerly known and addressed as “The Ondo State Polytechnic, Owo” was established in 1979 while it commenced educational activities in January 1980.

It is one of the oldest Polytechnics in Nigeria, known for his core value of creative activities of providing technical and practical-oriented training to meet the manpower requirements for the industrial, agriculture, commercial and economic development of Nigeria.

Owo Poly, as fondly called, is in the news recently, not for its vision in impacting knowledge in the area of training and research for developing people and making a difference, but due to the incessant borrowing of workers to survive and feed their families over unpaid salaries and arrears by the Ondo State Government.

As it stands, Starnews NG can report that the salaries and arrears owed its workers by the state government is amounting to eleven months.

The management of the school also owe part-time claims of lecturers who are teaching part-time students. Our nvestigation also revealed that those employed as part-time lecturers during the immediate past administration of Mr Gani Ogundahusi, are yet to be paid over 20 months of salaries and arrears.

Starnews NG reports that workers of this institution celebrated the Yuletide on empty stomachs. Many of them can no longer afford payment of school fees for their children. Some lecturers have withdrawn their children from school. Some workers have gone bankrupt over huge debt profile since borrowing is their only means of survival and means of livelihood.

Starnews NG’s visit to the school revealed how senior lecturers of the institution were paired four to five to share a bag of rice procured and distributed by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) to alleviate the suffering of their members during the Yuletide.

This Newspaper (Starnews NG) condemns the failure of Ondo State Government and the management of the institution in paying salaries of RUGIPO workers.

We call on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to fulfill its promise of giving priority to the payment arrears of salaries of workers in the state.

Governor Lucky should give immediate attention to the payment of salaries and arrears of not only RUGIPO workers, but also, workers in other sectors of the state whose children are dropping out of schools over unpaid salaries.