The outgone Vice Chancellor, Ekiti State University (EKSU) Professor Edward Olanipekun said he was shocked when some union leaders in the University told him his administration paid the highest number of salary in a year
Olanipekun also disclosed that one of the achievements of his administration was the regularization of staff salary.
Addressing journalists at a valedictory press conference, Olanipekun said
workers are now being paid full salary.
He explained that amputated salary, was the lexicon used by the academic staff to describe part payment of salaries.
The outgine VC said: “There is nothing like that again. My comrades are here. I can see some chairmen of some unions here. If I am telling lies they will raise their voice against my submission. The lexicon amputated salary has gone forever and will not come back to EKSU by the grace of God.
“I didn’t even know how many salaries I paid last year, it was my comrades that told me that I am the first VC that has paid the highest number of salary in a year and I said how? They began to count it and they said we paid a full salary of 16 months. I couldn’t believe it.
“Now we have paid salary up till June but we have not been able to pay for July because we are still owed 4 month subventions which include August 2018, September 2018, December 2023 and January 2024 and that is well over N1 billion. If we had that we should be able to pay for two. I hope my successor and incoming VC will be able to do that.”
He also defended the recent promotion of 70 academic staff to professors and 60 others to associate professors, saying that the concerned staff earned their promotion and not a parting gift.
Olanipekun also said that the state government owes the university four months subventions which amounted to over N1 billion, saying that if the money had been paid, the EKSU won’t owe any staff salary.
The Vice Chancellor, who stated this yesterday at an interactive session with journalists at the university campus in Ado Ekiti, said that the era of amputated salary is gone in the university, saying
“As to whether the harvest of Promotion of 70 staff to Professor, 60 Readers including a Deputy Librarian and also the elevation of some non teaching staff including my head of Directorate of Public Affairs to deputy registrar, whether it was a parting gift. It was not a parting gift. They all earned the elevation.
“For the Professors, their promotion is consequent on receiving two positive reports from external assessors. So that is why their promotions won’t come at once. Why we have such a large number was because it was not only those who are due for promotion for that particular year, it also included cases that are pending.
“So we had promotions from two annual review years and also some outstanding cases. So it wasn’t a parting gift because we have statutory periods that the Appointment and Promotion committee meets. So I congratulate all of them.
“Even as I speak we have some reports that are also ready but I have decided that I will allow the incoming Vice Chancellor to process and handle that. I hope that by the time he is holding the first Sand P meeting, he will be announcing the promotions of some professors.”Olanipekun said
End.