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.
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