The Edo State Government has announced plans to address years of unpaid salaries, pensions, and gratuities owed to staff of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, in a bid to improve worker welfare and restore stability at the institution. Governor Monday Okpebholo disclosed this on Monday in Benin City while receiving the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Eunice Omonzejie, and her management team during a courtesy visit.
Governor Okpebholo said the decision followed concerns raised by the university’s management over long-standing salary arrears inherited from previous administrations. He explained that the state government would tackle the outstanding payments and ensure that the university’s critical needs were captured in the ongoing budget process, stressing that clearing the backlog was essential to boosting staff morale and repositioning the institution.
The governor congratulated the Vice-Chancellor and her team, noting that their presentation highlighted the depth of the challenges confronting the university.
“From what you have outlined today, it is clear that Ambrose Alli University was on life support,” he said, while commending the progress recorded by the management since assuming office.
He assured the university of his administration’s commitment to restoring its lost glory. “I want to assure you that this administration will support the university to reposition it and restore its lost glory,” Governor Okpebholo said.
Addressing the issue of unpaid wages, the governor described the situation as unfair and unacceptable.
“It is not right for people to work and not be paid. The issue of unpaid salaries, pensions, and gratuities running into billions of naira is a project we will address,” he said.
Governor Okpebholo also acknowledged other challenges facing the institution, including poor hostel infrastructure, accreditation issues, and inadequate facilities for programmes such as Medical Laboratory Science. He said the state budget was at an advanced stage and assured the university’s management that AAU’s priority needs would be reflected in the budget proposals.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Omonzejie, said the delay in paying a courtesy visit to the governor was due to the completion of an accreditation exercise and a comprehensive assessment of the university’s condition. She described the institution she inherited as moribund, citing infrastructural decay, unpaid salaries, and accreditation challenges.
Prof. Omonzejie expressed appreciation for what she described as the governor’s “life-saving interventions” since he assumed office. She listed increased subvention, payroll restoration, support for medical students, improved security logistics, and road construction facilitated by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as some of the gains recorded so far.
She formally presented the university’s urgent needs to the governor, including unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities, and outstanding union deductions.
The meeting was attended by senior government officials, including the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Umar Musa Ikhilo, and the Commissioner for Education, Mr. Paddy Iyamu.
