Poly Ibadan Turns Down MoU on New Minimum Wage

The Memorandum of Understanding purportedly signed between the Oyo State Government and the Joint Action Committee of state-owned tertiary institutions on behalf of the workers has been rejected by the Joint Implementation Committee on new minimum wage and significant adjustment of the Polytechnic of Ibadan.

The committee in a bulletin jointly signed by SSANIP Chairman, Abiodun Abegunde, NASU Chairman, Akande Ibraheem, and a Representative of Academics, Mrs T. M Oyebola, rejected the MoU saying that it was fraudulent, null and void, and is not practical.

The committee further accused those representing them of being disloyal members of the unions, leading to them failing to consider their best interest in the signed document.

The said MoU, jointly signed by Olasunkanmi Olaleye, Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology; Prof. Adekunle Akinyemi, Chairman, Governing Council, The Polytechnic, Ibadan; Prof. M. Odedokun, Chairman, Governing Council, Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo, among others, read in part that the new minimum wage payable to all academic and non-academic staff in the state-owned tertiary institutions shall be N36,500 per month effective January 1, 2020, with first payment (to have been made) in December 2020 while the arrears payment should not span beyond three instalments.


The bulletin read in parts, “Those who claimed to be representatives of The Polytechnic, Ibadan are neither the direct beneficiaries nor the rightful representatives of the Unions on the purported MOU.


“NASU of all the six tertiary institutions are not parties of the so-called MOU as deceptively captured in the heading of the purported MOU. The Polytechnic, Ibadan Staff Unions are not part of the purported MOU too. The Ministry of Finance of Oyo State, whose responsibilities cover financial matters, was left out in the whole process.

“The individuals, who represented the ASUP, SSANIP, COEASU and SSUCOEN did not indicate the institution being represented. The individual who signed the purported MOU for COEASU is presently on suspension; thus, rendering the purported MOU invalid.

“Allowing JAC leadership to sign for other Unions who had expressed a loss of confidence in the leadership of the contraption is an aberration.

“The leaving out of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso and First Technical University, Ibadan suggests that the word “tertiary” as characterised by the so-called MOU, is a deceit and serving the interest of its authors only.

“Therefore, the so-called purported MOU is a document that is Brought is Dead. It does not worth the paper on which it is written thus it is neither acceptable nor binding on the workers of The Polytechnic, Ibadan.”