…VC Promises to Begin Payment of CONUASS, Promotion Arears

By Amaechi Agbo

Agbani – The staff of Enugu State University of Science and Technology, (ESUT) may not start receiving their new minimum wage any time soon as the University management has disclosed that it would need at least the sum of N25 million monthly to effectively implement the new minimum wage in the institution, www.esutmoitor.com can authoritatively report.

This is as the State Government, the owner of the university is silent over increase in the subvention it pays to the university.

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Aloysius Michaels Okolie said on Wednesday during the University Senate Meeting, that the management needs the sum of N25 million monthly to begin the implementation of the new minimum wage in the school.

ESUT Monitor gathered that Professor Okolie who stated the management’s willingness to begin the implementation of the new minimum wage, however expressed dismay that without corresponding increment in the Enugu State Government’s subvention, the university is handicapped.

The VC while acknowledging the difficulties the staff face in view of the implementation of the new wage structure, considering that the state government began the implementation in November 2024, called on the workers to patient with the management as they sort out solution.

Sources told this paper that the VC noted that no tertiary institution in Enugu State has started paying its staff the new minimum wage and called on the staff for more Understanding.

One of our sources recalled what the VC said during the meeting thus: “The committee on implementation of the new minimum wage submitted their report some weeks ago and to effectively begin this new payment, we will need additional N25 million every month. This will catapult our monthly wage bill to N467 million out of which the State Government pays N204 subvention. Which means we will be sorting out N263 million monthly for wages if we must pay the new minimum wage.

“The Government has not said anything on increasing the subvention, however, we are not relenting. I want to assure our staff that the management is working round the clock to sort things out and find a solution,” the source said.

The VC noted that while faculties and departments are increasing, the government subvention to the university is not increasing which adds much strains to the already stretched resources in the university  

The Vice Chancellor further disclosed that the university will, starting from June 1^st, 2025, commence payment of the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS) to all lecturers.

CONUASS is a salary structure used in Nigeria for academic staff, including lecturers and professors, in both federal and state universities

He appreciated the academic staff for their patience with respect to the payment of the CONUASS

CONUASS stands for Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure. It’s a salary structure used in Nigeria for academic staff, including lecturers and professors, in both federal and state universities

The Vice Chancellor further promised to start paying promotion arrears from 2020/2021. And expressed his determination to exhaust all the debt he inherited before he leaves the university including the Cooperative Micro-Finance

It could be recalled that various workers unions on Campus had threatened to embank on industrial action in January over the none implementation of the new minimum wage and other entitlements