Yemi Obafemi
Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has raised alarm over the plight of staff at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, who have gone unpaid for over five years despite being duly employed by the institution between 2019 and 2020.
In a statement shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Obi expressed deep concern after meeting with affected teaching and non-teaching staff of the university.
He described their situation as “shocking and heartbreaking,” stating that the workers have been completely excluded from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the federal payment platform responsible for processing public sector salaries.
He wrote: “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.”
Obi urged the Federal Government to immediately enroll the affected staff on the IPPIS platform and ensure the full payment of all outstanding arrears.
“A nation that neglects its educators and university staff undermines its own future,” he warned. “Their dignity, like that of every Nigerian worker, must be protected.”
