Protest Rocks Unizik As 12 Die Awaiting 5 Years Unpaid Salaries

A total of twelve staff members of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Unizik) in Awka, who have been owed five years of salaries, have died while waiting for their payment. The situation has led to over 1,000 staff of the institution protesting on Wednesday at the campus, demanding the payment of their salaries.

The crisis deepened with controversy surrounding the N1 billion personnel cost, which had been agreed to settle the workers, but the school management allegedly failed to fulfill its promise. According to one of the affected staff members, Chukwuebuka Emmanuel, who works at the Center for Disabilities and Special Needs Research and is also blind, the staff were employed in 2019, yet they have not received any salary to date.

“We were told initially that the issue was with the Integrated Payment and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). Later, the Governing Council approved our payments and capturing, but nothing came out of it. This has been affecting us, especially persons with disabilities. As a family man, it's been difficult taking care of my wife and children,” he lamented.

Emmanuel also mentioned the hardship of owing landlords and not being able to meet his children's educational needs.

Another staff member, Ibezim Echezona, shared the heartbreaking news that twelve of their colleagues have died due to the non-payment of salaries. He emphasized the distress that the situation has caused, stating that the university management is failing to provide answers regarding the N1 billion personnel cost and the delay in settling their salaries.

“We have buried twelve of our colleagues, with the last one passing away just this year. The university management has not given us an explanation about the N1 billion, and we do not know who is holding our salaries – whether it is the federal government, the Ministry of Education, or the university,” Echezona said.

The staff is now calling for accountability and an explanation regarding the funds, demanding that the relevant authorities disclose who is responsible for withholding their salaries.