Kwara varsity approves payment of new minimum wage for workers

Workers of the state-owned Kwara State University, Malete, will start receiving the new minimum wage from December 2024.

The Chairman of the Governing Council of Kwara State University, Malete, Professor Abdulganiyu Ambali, announced the approval of the payment of the new minimum wage of N70,000 to encourage industrial harmony and boost the commitment of staff to the vision of the institution.

Professor Ambali made the declaration while receiving the executives of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ibadan Zone, at the Council Chamber of the institution’s Business School in Ilorin on Thursday.

He noted that the university was in tune with the philosophy of ASUU, which encouraged prioritizing a conducive workplace and workers’ welfare, adding that the council of the institution would continue to strive to motivate staff to give their best to the university.

Professor Ambali disclosed that other efforts put in place to ensure staff welfare included consequential adjustment to salaries, a N100,000 school fees rebate for biological children of staff schooling in the university, a N50,000 monthly stipend for staff with disabilities, and a subsidized transportation scheme to ease staff movement from Ilorin to Malete and back.

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He said the council of the university was in dialogue with the state government on the concerns of the union in the institution regarding the payment of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) to the members of the union.

The council chairman commended the ASUU leadership for their style of exploring non-combative means to address their members’ concerns, noting that the agitations of the union led to the creation of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), which is now the major source of infrastructural and training support to institutions in Nigeria.

Earlier, the Zonal Coordinator of the Ibadan Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Comrade Oyegoke Oyebamiji, stressed the need for more funding of universities as the only way to ensure that institutions run effectively to address societal needs.

He appealed to the state government to heed the calls of the union for the reinstatement of subvention to the university and the payment of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) to staff.

Comrade Oyebamiji, who was in the company of other executive members from the Ibadan Zone, commended the quality of administration and understanding between staff and management of Kwara State University, which had prevented local action in the institution.