Unpaid Salary: 2019/2020 Staff Were Not Properly Employed, But I Am Working on Pay Rolling Them

By Ogar Monday

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Prof. Florence Obi, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, UNICAL, has stated that the 2019/2020 workers of the school had anomalies in their employment, but that she has been pulling all the strings within her reach to ensure that they are payrolled.

Obi who was speaking at the hearing of the House of Representative Committee on Public Petitions in Abuja, said 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.”

Obi told the Committee that she has “made several visits to 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.”

The Vice-Chancellor pleaded with the Committee to dwell on “the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to revalidate the approval of 2019 to accommodate the overflow due to the lack of conformity to the approved template,” and to allow the institution to employ more academic staff to fill in the manpower shortage in some newly created departments.

Earlier speaking, Mr. Bamidele Precious, one of the petitioners said they have been suffering because of the lack of salaries.

Bamidele said they have all been assigned responsibilities which they have been carrying out with due diligence.

He asked the Committee to come to their aid and save them from starvation and the debts that the situation has dug them into.

Responding, Hon. Jerry Alagboso, Chairman of the Committee, thanked both parties for their maturity all through the course of the imbroglio.

The Committee commended the VC for her efforts so far and asked her to continue to do what she can to settle the problem.

The sitting was later adjourned to the 14th of July, 2022 for further action.

The petitioners, employed by the University in 2019/20, petitioned the Vice-Chancellor of the University to the House Representatives over unpaid salaries.