FIJ
The management of the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, has dashed the hopes of the institution’s part-time staff members and rendered them helpless in a crumbling economy by withholding their salaries for over two years.
The Ondo State Government-managed polytechnic, established in 1979 as a citadel of learning for its students, has become a castle where staff members work tirelessly without receiving remuneration.
FIJ learned from some of the part-time staff members who were employed by the institution in 2018 that the last time they got paid their monthly salary of N40,000 was in 2022.
Yet, they go to work every day to perform their responsibilities while shouldering the weight of inflation and an ailing economy.
One of the staff members, who spoke to FIJ on the condition of anonymity, said that some of them trek to the school every day despite living far away.
“We are expected to show up at work every day to perform our responsibilities despite being owed salaries for 30 months. Many of us trek to the school every day. We don’t have any other jobs and have families to cater to. The economy is bad, but they do not care. They are very wicked sets of people and are just using us,” he lamented.
IN THE BEGINNING WAS A DREAM AND N40,000 SALARY
These staff members, who were employed in 2018 as part-time staff members of the polytechnic, accepted their offer with open arms, a salary of N40,000 and a dream that they would become full-time staff members of the institution in the future.
Some of the affected staff members told FIJ that the institution handed them more responsibilities than it did to their colleagues who earned higher salaries in full-time employment.
Until 2021, they enjoyed a steady flow of income. That was the year their salaries stopped coming in regularly, and one fateful day, it stopped.
Displeased and unable to cope with the harsh realities that came with the non-payment of salaries, some of them resigned and sought employment elsewhere. FIJ gathered that they numbered about 100 when they were employed in 2018, but their population has dropped to around 70.
Akande (not real name), an ex-staff member of the institution who resigned in 2023, described the situation as inhumane.
“The treatment of these staff members, who have been left in a precarious financial situation due to the non-payment of salaries, is a form of inhumane and degrading treatment,” said Akande.
In September, their dreams of attaining full-time employment came true when the institution’s governing council conferred the status of full-time staff members on them.
Despite being full-time staff members, they were still denied payment of their salaries.
“They told us that we would begin receiving our salaries in our third month as full-time staff of the polytechnic, but nothing came in the third month, and we kept on working. In my department, I take three courses, and I do them all without receiving payment,” said another affected staff member.
Whenever these dissatisfied staff members expressed their dissatisfaction with the institution’s management, they were always told the institution was short of funds and unable to pay them. They were also assured they would receive their salaries. But nothing came, and in June, their hopes were dashed yet again.
That month, Gani Adebola Ogundahunsi, the rector of the polytechnic, rescinded the decision to confirm them as full-time staff.
These staff members, who had been working at the institution for six years and had had their hopes dashed on countless occasions, found this decision heartbreaking.
Babalola, one of the affected staff, told FIJ that he trekked to the school on most days because he could not afford transportation.
“We are just trying. Most of the time, I trek from my house, which is very far from the school. I trek for more than 30 minutes. Feeding myself and my family is a problem. We keep on trying and hoping that everything will be fine,” he said.
“We just want to settle this amicably. We can’t sue the school in court because the court will be prolonging the case. We don’t even have the money to take the case to court.”
The institution will be conducting exams for its students in the coming weeks, and these staff members are expected to invigilate exams and work during that period, even with outstanding salaries.
They dread that period, but they still go to work come rain or shine while holding on to the hope that their outstanding salaries will be paid.
On Tuesday, FIJ sent a text message to the polytechnic’s rector, but he didn’t respond. When this reporter called him, he asked to be called back later. He failed to respond when this reporter called him again.
THIS STORY FIRST APPEARED IN FIJ
