Benin City- In a major relief to staff members of Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has approved the payment of five months’ outstanding salary arrears, alongside the prompt payment of the April 2025 salary. The payment, in line with the ₦70,000 minimum wage, was made ahead of the Easter celebrations.

The disbursement is seen as a significant step in addressing the longstanding salary issues that had demoralized workers and disrupted the smooth running of the academic calendar at the institution.

Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okpebholo, Fred Itua, stated that 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.

Itua noted that this reform would ensure regular salary payments and enhance accountability in the management of the institution’s finances.

“The decision to centralize the salary structure under the State’s direct payroll is part of Governor Okpebholo’s commitment to repositioning Edo State’s tertiary education sector for greater efficiency and stability,” the Governor’s media aide added.

Recall that staff of the Polytechnic had earlier raised concerns in October, 2024, over unpaid salaries, revealing that their last salary, the May 2024 payment, was only received in September 2024. Workers also lamented their exclusion from a special salary scheme originally designed to incentivize academic staff and noted that they had not benefitted from the ₦70,000 minimum wage implemented in the core civil service under the previous administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki.

The latest intervention by the Okpebholo administration is widely seen as a welcome relief, as staff members are now fully integrated into the Polytechnic’s broader State welfare.