Peter Obi Decries Five-Year Salary Denial for UNIZIK Workers, Urges Urgent FG Intervention
Peter Obi has condemned the non-payment of salaries to UNIZIK staff employed since 2019, calling it a shocking betrayal of justice and human dignity.
He urged swift federal intervention, warning that continued neglect of these educators risks worsening the nation’s academic decay and discouraging future service in Nigeria’s education sector.
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has expressed outrage over the plight of a group of academic and non-academic staff at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, who have reportedly gone unpaid for over five years.
Speaking after a meeting with the affected workers on Friday, Obi described the situation as a gross violation of human dignity and a disturbing indication of systemic neglect. He called on the Federal Government to urgently address the issue, saying the continued silence is unacceptable.
According to information provided during the meeting, the staff members were employed by the university between 2019 and 2020 through due process and with valid appointment letters. However, despite their legitimate employment, they have remained excluded from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which is the platform used by the Federal Government to manage and disburse salaries. As a result, they have not received any earnings since they began work.
Obi, visibly distressed by the testimonies he heard, emphasized that this is not a simple case of delayed payments but one of complete abandonment.
“These are men and women who have worked diligently for years under the belief that the system would eventually recognize and compensate their service. Sadly, they have been left to suffer in silence,” he said.
He noted that the affected workers have exhausted all known channels for redress, including submitting petitions and appeals to multiple government agencies and labor unions both in Nigeria and abroad. Despite these efforts, there has been no meaningful progress or intervention from the appropriate authorities.
“The psychological and economic toll on these individuals and their families is unimaginable,” Obi added. “I listened to stories of people being evicted from their homes, of families falling apart due to financial strain, of individuals unable to treat medical conditions, and even of colleagues who lost their lives because they couldn’t afford basic healthcare.”
He stressed that no functional society should allow its citizens to endure such conditions, especially not those serving in the nation’s education sector.
Obi further warned that if issues like this persist, they will not only discourage talented Nigerians from joining the civil service but also contribute to the broader decay of the country’s educational system. He urged the Federal Government and the Ministry of Education to swiftly conduct a thorough review of the employment records and ensure that all legitimately appointed staff are enrolled into the IPPIS system and paid their arrears without delay.
He also called on well-meaning Nigerians and civil society organizations to lend their voices to the cause, saying the silence surrounding the matter reflects a broader national attitude of indifference toward injustice.
“The people I met are not asking for favors,” Obi said. “They are demanding what is rightfully theirs salaries for work they have already done.”
As pressure mounts for federal authorities to respond, many hope Obi’s intervention will help bring visibility to a long-ignored issue and push for meaningful change in how civil servants, particularly those in the education sector, are treated in Nigeria.
