Today, I met with a group of teaching and non-teaching staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka and heard their pathetic story. What they shared with me was both shocking and heartbreaking. These are individuals who were duly employed by the university between 2019 and 2020, yet have remained without pay for five years.
They informed me that despite multiple petitions and appeals — both within Nigeria and to relevant international bodies — their situation has remained unchanged. 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.
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. These are not isolated incidents but the consequences of systemic neglect and failure.
While we continue to lament poor investment in education, here is a clear case where even the most basic obligation to educational workers — the payment of salaries — has not been met.
This is not just a labour issue; it is a moral and humanitarian one. 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. –PO
