By Timothy Nwobodo

With Christmas day celebration less than four days, there are indications that the staff of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, may not be paid their salary early enough as being speculated.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Chike Nwoha disclosed that the University Management may not pay staff salaries for December 2023 as at when expected

He made this disclosure while speaking with ESUT Monitor on Tuesday in his office. The former Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, explained that the idea is not novel in the university system stressing that the 2022 December salary was paid after the yuletide celebrations

 Professor Nwoha said the idea of delaying December salaries was to help the staff to make savings within the period considering that the season comes with lavish expenses which makes things complicated after the celebrations.

“Last year, we didn’t pay them their salary during Christmas, but it was paid immediately after Christmas. The reason is if you give out such money, they will spend it during the celebrations. We want to help them to pay the school fees of their wards, pay their rents, because when they spend this money unnecessarily, at the beginning of the year, you see them applying for salary advance, and the money is not there to give for salary advance,” he said.

He added that the management since inception in April last year, has been prompt in paying all the unions in the university their check-off dues.

“But the management is trying now, we make sure the unions get their check-off dues. We have been paying them since we came in, what is remaining now is the accrued debts of the former regime but since we came in, we have been settling them, making sure they get their money, so that if you apply for loan, you get them, the ASUU get their own, SANU and the rest.”

However, he maintained that the issue of salary payment for the month is subject to change from the offices of the Vice-Chancellor and the Bursar, stressing that the trajectory might change after consultations are made with the key stakeholders.

He admonished staff of the University to celebrate Christmas wisely, pointing out that Christmas is not all about spending, but a time to reflect on one’s activities for the year past.

ESUT will close after work today as staff and students proceed on a three-week break for the yuletide celebrations. The university will reopen on January 8, 2024