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The House of Representative Committee on Public Petitions has lauded the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi, for steps taken to ensure that applicants that were employed in 2019 and 2020 before she assumed office are pay-rolled.
The affected staff, who have not been paid for several months, had petition the Vice Chancellor before the House of Representative Committee on Public Petitions.
Speaking on behalf of the petitioners at the National Assembly in Abuja, Mr Bamidele Precious, told the Committee that some of them were yet to be captured by the Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System (IPPIS) while others were yet to finish their documentation with the university.
According to him, the refusal of IPPIS to capture them in its payroll had caused untold hardship for them, hence they sought for the intervention of the Committee.
He explained that most of them were already assigned courses which they teach including other academic activities which they undertake accordingly.
He prayed to the Committee to use their political will and engage IPPIS to capture them so that their monthly salary can be coming to them regularly.
In her explanation to the Committee, the Vice Chancellor told them the steps she has taken so far in trying to get the affected staff pay-rolled.
She explained that she has visited the Office of Head of Service of the Federation, Accountant General Office, Budget office and IPPIS for an upward review of the personnel cost of the university with a view to have the cash backing to pay the affected staff but to no avail.
The VC informed the Committee that the documentation was suspended due to the employment racketeering that was ongoing at that time and the fake employment letters that were detected after it was found that some applicants forged the signature of the Registrar on their employment letters.
“As Vice-Chancellor, I have made several visits to IPPIS, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation for the affected staff (the petitioners) to be pay rolled, but was told there was no clearance from the Budget Office hence no monetary backing to pay roll them.
“I also visited the Budget Office for clearance to pay roll 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.
“In the light of the foregoing, the Honourable Chairman and respected Honourable Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions are requested to kindly note the following:
i. The employment of the petitioners in which I have been summoned took place before my assumption of office as Vice-Chancellor;
ii. Despite the glaring procedural bridges in the employment, my administration has made consistent effort to IPPIS to pay roll the affected persons;
iii. The flagrant disregard to the approved employment template by the University at that time, including the employment of more non-teaching than academic/teaching staff has brought about a serious shortfall in the quantum of Lecturers required in the University for quality teaching and learning, with the newly approved academic Departments being the most affected.
Further to the above, we humbly request the Committee to kindly prevail:
i. On the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to revalidate the approval of 2019 to accommodate the overflow (staff yet to be pay rolled) due to the lack of conformity to the approved template;
ii. On the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to approve the employment of qualified staff (especially academic staff) to fill the newly established Academic Departments in the Faculties of Engineering, Pharmaceutical Science, Dentistry, Environmental Sciences, Arts, Education and College of Medicine; and
iii. On the Budget Office for an upward review of the personnel cost of the University to accommodate the affected staff and to enable us employ more staff as required by extant regulation by NUC for the quality delivery of the curriculum, towards national development and global competiveness.
After hearing from the petitioners and the respondent, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Jerry Alagboso, commended the VC for the steps taken to get the affected staff pay-rolled.
“Vice Chancellor, we want to commend you for the steps taken so far to see that these set of persons are captured; don’t look at the sins of the petitioners, continue making more efforts on their behalf,” he said.
While expressing sympathy with the affected staff, he assured them that the Committee will take up the matter with the relevant agencies for their payment to be effected.
The Committee, however, adjourned the matter to July 14 for further hearing.
