By ALEX ENEBELI

Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State has approved an additional N115 million monthly subvention for the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT).

The increase brings the state government’s total monthly funding to the institution from N161 million to N276 million.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, on Tuesday in Enugu.

Onyia said the governor also appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), ESUT chapter, to suspend its ongoing strike and return to the classrooms, assuring that outstanding issues would be addressed through constructive dialogue.

He said the latest intervention brought the cumulative increase in the state’s monthly subvention to ESUT to N140 million since February 2026.

According to him, the additional funding was aimed at strengthening the university’s capacity to meet its financial obligations, particularly its responsibilities to staff and students, and ensure the continued delivery of quality academic services.

“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,” Onyia said.

The SSG explained that before February 2026, the state government provided N136 million monthly to ESUT.

He said the government introduced an additional N25 million monthly intervention for the ESUT College of Medicine (ESUCOM) in February to support the payment of 120 additional staff.

This, he said, brought the total monthly government support to N161 million.

He said the latest N115 million increase would raise the government’s monthly subvention to N276 million and assist ESUT in meeting the salary agreement reached between ASUU and the Federal Government.

He appealed to ASUU-ESUT members to reciprocate the government’s intervention by suspending the industrial action and resuming academic activities to prevent further disruption to students’ academic progress.

“We appeal to ASUU-ESUT to reciprocate this gesture by resuming academic activities, while all outstanding issues are addressed through constructive dialogue.

“Our students should not be made to bear the consequences of disagreements that can be resolved amicably,” he said.

The SSG reaffirmed Gov. Mbah’s commitment to the welfare of workers and the sustained development of ESUT, stressing that the increase in funding demonstrated the administration’s priority for education and an uninterrupted academic calendar.

He urged ESUT management and ASUU to embrace dialogue and work collaboratively towards resolving the outstanding issues.

Onyia said the ultimate objective should be to guarantee students uninterrupted and quality education.

He assured the university that the Mbah administration would continue to support it within available resources and take necessary measures to strengthen the institution and position it to fulfil its mandate as a leading university of science and technology. (NAN)

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