266 UNICAL Staff Protest 7 Years Unpaid Salaries, Non-Enrollment in IPPIS
By Missang AKPET
Staff of the University of Calabar, employed in 2019/2020, on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest over the non-payment of seven years salary arrears and failure to enroll them into the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
The affected staff, numbering 266 and employed under former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Zana Akpagu, said they have not been captured on payroll nor paid since employment despite completing documentation and assuming duty.
Spokesperson for the group, Mr. Nesta Akpama, told journalists that they were issued employment letters and commenced documentation before the COVID-19 lockdown.
“We were employed in 2019/2020 during Prof. Akpagu's administration. We received letters and started documentation. Majority completed documentation. COVID-19 came and we were asked to come one by one to avoid crowd. After COVID, we resumed duty,” Akpama said.
According to him, the process was halted when Prof. Florence Obi assumed office as Vice-Chancellor for verification of the employment status.
“She said she wants to verify status of employment. She formed a committee and the committee resolution said nothing was found wanting, that we should continue. But she kept keeping us,” he stated.
Akpama said the group petitioned the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, which held hearings involving UNICAL management, the Head of Service of the Federation and other universities with similar cases.
He said the Committee resolved that the affected staff should be absorbed immediately.
“Head of Service wrote to the school in a letter with reference no OHCSF/HOS/RIOF/50676 dated 8th April, 2025 requesting they should payroll us immediately. House of Reps sent resolution that the school should absorb us and payroll us immediately,” he said.
He added that with the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor, they expected implementation of the directives, but were surprised to discover fresh recruitment was ongoing in the institution.
“We gave some time, kept coming, kept engaging. Yesterday as routine visit, we discovered a group of persons filing into his office, an employment going on in school. We are here for VC to address us why he has not respected or implemented resolutions from House of Reps and directives from Head of Service of Federation, and why new employment is going on,” he said.
Akpama disclosed that although the official list has 266 names, less than 100 were present at the protest.
“From the list, we have 266 sent to the school. In physical, we are not up to 100. That shows we need this job. We have never been paid at all. For seven years,” he said, calling on the new Vice-Chancellor Prof Effangha Offiong to implement the resolutions and enroll them into IPPIS.
