Osun Poly, College Of Technology, Health College Lecturers Give Adeleke 15-Day Ultimatum Over Unpaid Allowances

– Threatens Strike

Academic staff of Osun State-owned polytechnics and colleges of technology have accused the state government of unequal treatment over the non-payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), despite claims that university lecturers in the state have received their own newly introduced allowances.

The lecturers, under the umbrella of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), called on Governor Ademola Adeleke to urgently address the disparity, warning that continued exclusion of polytechnic academics could trigger industrial action.

The union made its position known on Tuesday at a press conference held at the ASUP Resource Centre, along Ada-Iree Road, Iree, where it announced a November 17 deadline for the state government to approve and implement the allowances, including applicable arrears from January 2026.

The demand affects academic staff of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree; Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke; and Osun State College of Health Technology, Ilesa.

Speaking on behalf of the three institutions, the ASUP Chairman of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Comrade (Tpl) Sikiru A. Folorunso, said the union considered the continued exclusion of its members unjustifiable, particularly as academic staff in other institutions and neighbouring states had benefited from similar arrangements.

He explained that the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance and Earned Academic Allowance emerged from negotiations between ASUP and the Federal Government as part of an agreed improvement in the conditions of service of polytechnic lecturers nationwide.

Folorunso said the allowances were designed to provide academic staff with the necessary support for teaching, research and technical training, stressing that they were recognised entitlements rather than voluntary incentives.

According to him, the Federal Government had implemented the allowances for academic staff in federal polytechnics, including the settlement of outstanding payments from January 2026.

He also identified Ondo and Ekiti states as examples of governments that had taken steps to implement the allowances for their polytechnic lecturers.

“In Ondo State, the government has paid its polytechnic staff for August, September and October 2026, with a promise that the outstanding months of January to July will be paid in two batches before the end of this year,” he said.

The union’s major concern, however, was what it described as the disparity between the treatment of university and polytechnic academics under the same Osun State Government.

Folorunso said university lecturers in the state had received their own newly introduced allowances, arguing that polytechnic lecturers should not be excluded when both categories of workers contribute to the development of the state’s education sector.

“We are in the same state, under the same government, and serve the same people. We are all academics, all educators and all contributing to the development of this state,” he said.

The ASUP chairman said the union had made several efforts to secure the government’s intervention, including formal communications to the governing councils and managements of the affected institutions, as well as letters to the governor and other relevant government officials.

He recalled that the union wrote to the governor on July 27 and August 5, while ASUP’s national secretariat also sent correspondence to the state government on August 12 and August 27.

According to him, a further letter conveying a 15-day ultimatum was submitted to the governor’s office on October 27, 2026.

He said the union had yet to secure a direct meeting with Adeleke to explain its position, despite repeated attempts to engage the government through official channels.

The union consequently appealed to the governor to approve the allowances in line with the national framework, direct the relevant authorities to commence payment of the outstanding entitlements and grant its representatives an opportunity to meet with him before November 17.

Folorunso emphasised that the ultimatum was backed by the national leadership of ASUP, describing it as a collective position of the union rather than an isolated agitation by the Osun chapters.

He warned that the expiration of the ultimatum without a positive response would lead to an emergency meeting of members to determine the next step, which could include the withdrawal of academic services in the affected institutions.

While expressing reluctance to disrupt academic activities, the union said the responsibility for preventing any industrial action rested with the state government.

It appealed to students, parents and other stakeholders to understand its position, urging members to remain peaceful and await further directives from the union leadership.