Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has approved payment of five months salary arrears for staff members of the Edo State Polytechnic, Usen.
The development is contained in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, on Thursday in Benin City.
The statement said the governor approved the payment of five months’ outstanding salary arrears, alongside the prompt payment of the April 2025 salary.
According to Itua, the government had taken structural steps to permanently address the salary challenges facing the polytechnic.
One of the key reforms includes the centralization of the institution’s salary payment, now handled directly through the state government’s payroll system.
The chief press secretary expressed the hope that the reform would ensure regular salary payments and enhance accountability in the management of the institution’s finances.
TREND REPORTERS recalled that the staff of the Polytechnic had earlier raised concerns in October 2024 over unpaid salaries.
The workers complained that their last salary, the May 2024 payment, was only received in September 2024.
They also expressed displeasure over their exclusion from a special salary scheme originally designed to incentivize academic staff, stating that they had not benefitted from the ₦70,000 minimum wage implemented in the core civil service under the past administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
