Govt owing EKSU over ₦1b in subventions — Outgoing VC

The outgoing Vice Chancellor of the Ekiti State University Ado Ekiti (EKSU), Professor Edward Olanipekun, on Tuesday revealed that the government is owing the university four months of subventions amounting to over ₦1 billion.

Prof Olanipekun revealed this during an interactive session with journalists at the Ado Ekiti campus, stressing that if the government had paid the subventions, all salary arrears would have been settled.

“Now we have paid salaries up till June, but we have not been able to pay for July because we are still owed four months of subventions, which include August 2018, September 2018, December 2023, and January 2024, and that is well over ₦1 billion. If we had that, we should be able to pay for two. I hope my successor and incoming VC will be able to do that,” he said.

READ ALSO: Promotion of 70 professors, others not parting gift – Outgoing EKSU VC

The Vice Chancellor acknowledged the difficulty in paying workers’ salaries but believes the era of amputated salaries is over, as this is the norm in the university.

“There is nothing like that again (amputated salaries). My comrades are here. I can see some chairmen of some unions here. If I am telling lies, they will raise their voices against my submission. The lexicon ‘amputated salary’ has gone forever and will not come back to EKSU by the grace of God. I didn’t even know how many salaries I paid last year. It was my comrades that told me that I am the first VC that has paid the highest number of salaries in a year, and I said how? They began to count it, and they said we paid a full salary of 16 months. I couldn’t believe it.”

The Guardian reports that over 70 academic staff members were promoted to the position of professors, with 60 others as associate professors recently.

The Prof, while reacting to insinuations in certain quarters that promotions were unmerited, said the rumours that their promotion was like a parting gift was untrue

He said, “As to whether the promotion of 70 staff to Professor, 60 Readers, including a Deputy Librarian, and also the elevation of some non-teaching staff, including my head of the Directorate of Public Affairs to Deputy Registrar, was a parting gift—it was not a parting gift. They all earned the elevation.

“For the Professors, their promotion is consequent on receiving two positive reports from external assessors. So that is why their promotions won’t come at once. The reason we have such a large number is because it was not only those who were due for promotion for that particular year, but it also included cases that were pending.

“So we had promotions from two annual review years and also some outstanding cases. So it wasn’t a parting gift because we have statutory periods when the Appointment and Promotion Committee meets. So I congratulate all of them.”