Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has approved an additional N115 million monthly subvention for the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), even as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), ESUT chapter, continues its strike. The announcement was made on Monday by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, who confirmed that the new allocation would raise the state's total monthly subvention to ESUT to N276 million, up from the current N161 million.
Steady Growth in State Support for ESUT
The funding increase follows a pattern of incremental support. Before February 2026, Enugu State was disbursing N136 million monthly to ESUT. In February, the government added N25 million specifically for the ESUT College of Medicine (ESUCOM) to cover salaries for 120 additional staff, bringing the monthly figure to N161 million. With the latest N115 million approval, the cumulative increase since February now stands at N140 million.
Prof. Onyia stated that the additional resources were aimed at helping ESUT meet the salary benchmarks agreed between ASUU and the federal government. He emphasized the administration's commitment to workers' welfare and education.
Government's Appeal to ASUU
With the funding commitment in place, the SSG urged ASUU members at ESUT to reciprocate by suspending the strike and returning to work. He warned that students' academic progress risked serious disruption the longer the action continued. Prof. Onyia also called on the university management and ASUU to engage in dialogue and work together to resolve outstanding issues, noting that the shared goal should be quality, uninterrupted education for ESUT students.
Prof. Onyia said: "Governor Mbah has demonstrated once again that his administration places the welfare of workers and the uninterrupted education of our young people at the heart of its priorities. This additional N115 million monthly intervention is a substantial commitment of public resources aimed at strengthening ESUT and ensuring that the institution can meet its obligations to its staff and students."
Future Support and Commitment
The SSG assured the university community that the Mbah administration would continue to support the institution within available resources and take steps to strengthen its capacity to fulfil its mandate as a leading science and technology university. The government's decision comes as ASuu's strike, which began over salary and working condition disputes, shows no immediate sign of resolution.
