Staff of the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora, have embarked on an indefinite strike over the persistent issue of fractional and delayed salary payments.
The three workers’ unions in the institution, under the auspices of OYSCATECH-JAC, comprising ASUP, SSANIP, and NASU, unanimously agreed to commence the industrial action.
A statement jointly signed by the college NASU chairman, Tajudeen Adeyemo; SSANIP chairman, Oyediran S.O. and ASUP chairman, Tiamiyu M.B, respectively in Ibadan, the state capital, on Friday, said the action became imperative after a series of appeals by the Joint Action Committee to the management of the institution yielded no positive result.
The unions said, “The strike officially began on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, following a memo released by the management indicating its inability to augment the subvention provided by the state government to enable full salary payments.
“Staff members have expressed growing frustration over the recurrent delay and fractional payment of salaries, despite the fact that the government had increased the institution’s monthly subvention by 25% since January 2025.
“Additionally, other internally generated revenue sources of the institution have been reviewed upward and approved by the government for the sustainability of the institution.
“To further support funding, school fees for new intakes have been increased by 100% for the current academic session, yet the financial welfare of staff remains unchanged.”
The unions, therefore, appealed to the state governor, Seyi Makinde, to rescue the staff from this dire and demoralising financial situation, which has persisted due to the management’s continued failure to pay salaries and allowances as and when due.
“Over the past months, staff members have repeatedly resorted to work boycotts whenever salaries and allowances were not fully paid.
“For example, in May 2025, when only a fraction of staff salaries were paid, we embarked on a three-day strike after management failed to pay the balance despite our pleas.
“Management has continued to claim that the 25% increase in subvention approved to reflect the new national minimum wage since January 2025 is insufficient to sustain full salary payments, even when augmented with internally generated revenue.
“The final straw was the release of an official memo by management, ahead of June salary payments, stating its inability to pay salaries in full.
“In response, all three unions convened congress meetings, and staff members unanimously rejected management’s position. Despite our continued appeals, June salaries were not only delayed but also paid in fractions, leading to the current industrial action that commenced on July 1, 2025.
“As of today, no progress has been made, and management insists there is no available fund to complete the payments,” the statement added.
The unions further lamented that it is disheartening that, among all the tertiary institutions in the state, only the college has consistently faced this challenge.
“The entire staff of the institution is calling on and appealing to the state government, under the leadership of Governor Makinde, to urgently intervene and come to the aid of the institution,” the statement concluded.
