The management of Ambrose Alli University (AAU) has lamented that staff of the institution are still receiving an N18,000 minimum wage, as against the N70,000 approved for workers in the Edo State public service by the immediate past government of Godwin Obaseki.
Principal Assistant Registrar/Head of Information and Public Relations of the institution, Otunba Mike Ade Aladenika, decried the development in a chat with newsmen over the weekend in Benin.
Aladenika noted that all agitations to ensure that the workers benefit from the N70,000 minimum wage approved by the government have not been successful.
“I will make bold to tell you that workers in AAU, as of today, are still on an N18,000 minimum wage, while other civil servants are on N70,000. All agitations with the past government were to no avail,” he said.
The image maker of the university, who said the institution had been enmeshed in a series of crises, added, “You will also remember that there was a period in the university when it was one crisis after another, with the gates being locked every day. But since the coming on board of the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo, have you heard of the gates being locked? No.
“With all sense of humility and respect, the last few years for AAU have been a battlefront from all sides.
“The parents were not smiling, the students of the institution had issues, the workers and lecturers had issues, and the government was not too friendly.
“A simple government position—implementing simple government logic and policies—is just what the governor is doing. He is not doing anything extraordinary.
“For example, the institution has not been able to induct medical students who have graduated over the years. Governor Monday Okpebholo came, asked what the problems were, and they told him the problems. He intervened, and we inducted doctors.
“Just about a week ago, the school inducted about 204 nurses. With this, we can now admit students into the nursing department and others. We are going to admit students in the next academic session.
“The bottom line of all of this is that the interest of the ruling government must be shown in the operations of the school. When the government does not have an interest in the school, then you will see the kinds of stories we have had.
“It is not as if ASUU is no longer in the university. They are there. So what has changed? It is the idea of honoring certain principles. It is the idea of making sure that things keep moving—that is what has changed.”
