‘We Are Living From Hand To Mouth’ — Rufus Giwa Polytechnic Staff Accuse Ondo Government Of Paying Paltry ₦18,000 Minimum Wage, Owing Salaries Despite New Wage Law

They appealed for urgent public attention to their plight, stating that thousands of workers in the institution had been pushed into hardship due to poor remuneration and unpaid salaries.

Staff members of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, have raised the alarm over the worsening welfare conditions, accusing the Lucky Aiyedatiwa-led state government of abandoning the institution while workers continue to earn an outdated ₦18,000 minimum wage amid Nigeria’s rising economic hardship.

In a “Save Our Soul” petition, the workers alleged that their welfare had “nosedived” under the current administration, leaving many staff financially distressed and unable to meet basic living expenses.

They appealed for urgent public attention to their plight, stating that thousands of workers in the institution had been pushed into hardship due to poor remuneration and unpaid salaries.

According to the staff, “our members have practically been living from hand to mouth,” adding that they had been subjected to “huge financially embarrassment by virtue of the grossly low salary scale being used in the Polytechnic.”

The workers alleged that despite multiple national wage reviews, employees of the institution remain on a salary structure introduced years ago.

They stated that “staff of the Polytechnic are still collecting N18,000 as minimum wage as at January, 2026,” noting that the wage had already been replaced by newer national benchmarks, including the ₦30,000 minimum wage approved in 2019 and subsequent increases.

The petition further claimed that the institution’s workers are “the only government workers in Nigeria that are still collecting N18,000,” alleging that repeated efforts to get the Ondo State Government to implement the new national minimum wage had failed.

They accused Governor Aiyedatiwa of excluding the polytechnic workforce from the new wage implementation despite commencing payment to other state workers in October 2024.

The staff also alleged that workers are owed three months’ salary arrears covering October, November and December 2025.

According to the petition, the governor had approved payment of the arrears during the institution’s combined convocation ceremony on October 25, 2025, but the promise allegedly remains unfulfilled.

“It is only staff of the Polytechnic in the entire Ondo State nay South West that are still being owed outstanding salary,” the workers said.

They warned that the situation had placed employees in a “precarious financial situation,” stressing that the ₦18,000 salary scale is “grossly inadequate” under current economic realities.

Describing the social impact of the crisis, the workers said landlords had begun refusing to rent apartments to them due to financial instability.

“Our members are now laughing stock in the community as Landlords and landladies no longer rent houses to them,” the petition stated, adding that some staff now survive on “donations” and “assistance” from students.

The petition further alleged long-term neglect of the polytechnic, describing it as “practically abandoned by successive governments” and claiming that no capital grants had been released to the institution for over a decade.

According to the staff, the school now relies heavily on interventions from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), while infrastructure across the campus remains “old and dilapidated.”

They also accused government officials of interfering in institutional projects, alleging that an appointee “arm twisted Management of the Polytechnic to collect one of the renovated Male hostels sponsored by TETFUND.”

The workers said career progression had also stalled, noting that promotions due between 2023 and 2026 remain unresolved.

“The welfare of staff had nosedived under this present Management/govenrment,” the petition stated, adding that the last promotion exercise covered only 2022 and was conducted the following year.

The crisis has already disrupted academic activities at the institution. Non-teaching staff unions recently staged a five-day peaceful protest and announced plans to resume demonstrations from February 23, 2026, until their demands are met.

Meanwhile, the academic union reportedly resumed a suspended strike on February 19, 2026, over similar welfare concerns, effectively paralysing activities at the polytechnic.