‘They Died Waiting’ — Obi Decries 5 Year Of Unpaid Salary For UNIZIK Staff
Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Mr Peter Obi, has raised the alarm over the plight of some staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, who he said have gone unpaid for five years.
Obi made the revelation after meeting with a group of affected university workers, describing their situation as both “shocking and heartbreaking” in a statement he shared across social media on Friday.
“Today, I met with a group of teaching and non-teaching staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka and heard their pathetic story,” Obi stated. “What they shared with me was both shocking and heartbreaking.”
According to him, the individuals were legally employed by the university between 2019 and 2020 but have yet to receive a single salary due to their exclusion from the Federal Government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
“These are individuals who were duly employed by the university between 2019 and 2020, yet have remained without pay for five years,” he said.
“What they face is not simply delayed salaries but complete exclusion from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which has made the disbursement of their lawful earnings impossible.”
The former governor lamented the consequences of this neglect, saying some affected workers have died due to a lack of access to medical care, while others have been evicted from their homes or suffered broken families.
“Their accounts are harrowing. Some have lost their homes due to eviction.
“Others have suffered broken families, untreated medical conditions, and, in some tragic cases, the death of colleagues who could not afford basic healthcare,” he said.
“These are not isolated incidents but the consequences of systemic neglect and failure.”
Obi criticised the failure of both the university administration and relevant government agencies to resolve the issue despite numerous petitions and appeals, including to international bodies.
“They informed me that despite multiple petitions and appeals — both within Nigeria and to relevant international bodies — their situation has remained unchanged,” he said.
Calling the situation a moral and humanitarian crisis, Obi urged the Federal Government to take urgent steps to rectify the injustice.
He specifically called for the immediate inclusion of the affected staff on the IPPIS platform and the payment of all outstanding arrears.
“This is not just a labour issue; it is a moral and humanitarian one,” he said. “I call on the federal government to act swiftly and decisively to resolve this matter.”
“The affected staff must be immediately enrolled on the IPPIS platform, and all outstanding arrears must be paid without delay.
“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.
‘They Died Waiting’ — Obi Decries 5 Year Of Unpaid Salary For UNIZIK Staff is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
