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The former governor of Anambra State and Labour Party Presidential Candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has decried the plight of a group of teaching and non-teaching staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, who have reportedly gone without salaries for five years, calling on the federal government to urgently intervene in the matter.
Obi made the call after meeting with the affected staff, who narrated their shocking and heartbreaking ordeal.
The workers were reportedly employed between 2019 and 2020 and despite their valid appointments, they have been excluded from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), rendering them ineligible to receive their lawful earnings.
According to Obi, the situation is not merely a case of delayed salaries, but one of total exclusion from the federal payroll system.
“They have written petitions and appealed to various bodies, both within and outside Nigeria, yet the situation remains unchanged,” he said.
According to him, the consequences of the prolonged salary denial have been dire, and recounted harrowing stories shared by the staff, including eviction from houses, family breakdowns, untreated medical conditions, and in some tragic instances, the death of colleagues who could not afford basic healthcare.
Condemning the situation, which he described as a reflection of systemic neglect, Obi noted that while the nation continues to decry the poor state of its education sector, the basic obligation of paying educational workers is being ignored.
“This is not just a labour issue; it is a moral and humanitarian one. A nation that neglects its educators and university staff undermines its own future. Their dignity, like that of every Nigerian worker, must be protected,” Obi said.
He urged the federal government to take swift and decisive action by enrolling the affected staff onto the IPPIS platform without further delay and ensure that all outstanding arrears are promptly paid.
He added that the situation at Nnamdi Azikiwe University adds to growing concerns over the welfare of academic and non-academic staff across Nigeria’s public universities, many of whom, he observed, have faced salary delays, inadequate funding and poor working conditions.
