Dear Gentleman of the Press,
We write to bring the attention of Ogun state government to the unbearable condition of service meted on the staff of Gateway Industrial and Petro Gas Institute (GIPI) Oni Ogunwaterside Local Government Area of Ogun state.
For the record, GIPI was established by an act of Ogun State House of Assembly in Year 2008 by the Administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel now Senator representing Ogun east consistency. Every government after this has neglected this only higher Institution in the entire local government in terms of funding and accreditation.
Just recently, Prince Dapo Abiodun has assisted in accreditation of 2 courses. The Institution requires accreditation of more courses
However, the staff welfare has been so bad that N18,000 minimum wage has been administered in the Institution since year 2011.
While other government workers have been enjoying N77,000 minimum wage since 2014, GIPI staff are not.
We are appealing to His Excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun to as a matter of urgency rescue the lone institution in Ogunwaterside Local Government for total collapseSave GIPI from Total Collapse: An Open Appeal to Governor Dapo Abiodun
The Gateway Industrial and Petro-Gas Institute (GIPI), located in Oni, Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, is on the brink of total institutional collapse due to severe underfunding, staff neglect, and outdated salary structures. Established in 2008 by the administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel (now the Senator representing Ogun East), GIPI remains the only higher institution in the entire local government area. Despite its strategic purpose to build capacity for Nigeria’s oil and gas sectors, it has suffered years of systemic abandonment by successive administrations.
The Core Issues Threatening GIPI
* Severe Salary Disparity: Staff at the institute are still being paid the archaic ₦18,000 minimum wage, a standard instituted back in 2011.
* Exclusion from Wage Reviews: While other Ogun State civil servants and tertiary institution workers have moved past historical adjustments onto much higher minimum wage tiers—including the ₦77,000 minimum wage—GIPI staff have been completely left behind.
* Accreditation Gaps: While the recent intervention by His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to secure the accreditation of 2 courses is highly appreciated, the institution urgently requires the accreditation of its remaining courses to stay functional and competitive.
A Direct Call to Action
With Ogun State recently positioned as an oil exploration frontier state alongside major maritime expansions like the Gateway Deep Seaport in Ogun Waterside, an institute like GIPI is more relevant than ever to train the local workforce.
We urgently appeal to His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to intervene by:
1. Upgrading staff welfare and integrating GIPI workers into the current state minimum wage structure.
2. Providing emergency funding for full course accreditation and infrastructure restoration.
