National Assembly Summons UNICAL Vice Chancellor After Unpaid Employees Petition

By Patrick Obia

Again, the House Committee on Public Petition of the House of Representatives, National Assembly has summoned the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) Prof. Florence Obi to appear before the House over a petition filed against her by purported unpaid employees of the varsity.

In a letter of notice addressed to the VC with petition number 505 of 2022, the House mandated the UNICAL boss to appear in person on Thursday, 27 October 2022 at 2:pm in accordance with Sections 88 and 89 (C) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

In the petition, UNICAL employees who alleged they have not been paid after over 27 months of engagement are petitioners while the Vice Chancellor is the respondent.

The Committee warned: “And further take notice that if you do not attend the hearing as required, the case may be heard or determined in your absence.”

Recall that Prof. Florence on 6th April 2022 appeared before the Committee after some aggrieved staff petitioned her.

They Were Not Properly Employed, But I Am Working On Pay Rolling Them – VC

While being drilled by the Committee in April, Obi said that the 2019/2020 workers of the school had anomalies in their employment, but that she has been pulling all the magic within her reach to ensure that they are paid.

She posited, the employment which was done before her administration as the head of the institution, had “procedural breaches” and was done “in flagrant disregard to the approved employment template by the University at that time.”

The Boki-born first female VC of UNICAL noted that she has “made several visits to Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) Office of the Accountant General of the Federation for the affected staff to be payrolled, but was told there was no clearance from the Budget Office hence no monetary backing to payroll them.”

She also added: “I also visited the Budget Office for clearance to payroll the petitioners by IPPIS. The Budget Office insisted on revalidation of the said approval by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation before clearance and financial backing can be made.”