A major crisis has erupted at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, as hundreds of aggrieved workers staged a protest over alleged irregularities in the staff capturing and payroll process, after reportedly working for years without pay.
The protesting workers, some of whom claim they have been serving the institution since 2019, accused the university management of what they described as “institutional betrayal.”
According to the workers, despite years of unpaid service and hardship, the university is allegedly using a federal employment waiver to enroll new individuals—described as “cronies”—into the payroll, sidelining long-serving staff.
The controversy intensified following reports that the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) capturing exercise was conducted خارج the university premises in Enugu, raising further suspicion among the affected workers.
In a viral protest video, one visibly distressed staff member condemned what he termed “questionable conditions” surrounding the exercise, alleging that unfamiliar names were being prioritised over legitimate workers.
“We have worked since 2019 with nothing to show for it, only to be told now that new people are being captured while we are left in the cold,” the protester lamented.
However, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Bond Anyaehie, denied allegations of wrongdoing, insisting that the university is implementing a phased approach to staff capturing into the federal payroll.
Anyaehie attributed the unrest to what he described as the workers’ resistance to the process.
“They are being captured in batches, but all of them want to be captured the same day. Their inability to accept phased capturing has remained a problem for months,” he stated.
As tensions continue to rise, affected workers are demanding transparency and immediate inclusion in the payroll system, while the university management maintains that due process is being followed.