The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Banku Obi has berated some protesting \’staff\’ of the institution for utterly distorting facts and misleading the public.
Prof. Obi made this known when a group of people alleged to be non-academic staff of the institution on Friday protested the non-payment of their salaries and other benefits.
The group claimed that they had been employed since 2019/2020 by the institution without being paid and staged a peaceful protest at the Administrative block of the institution asking the University helmsman to payroll them.
Addressing the VC, the leader of the aggrieved \’staff\’, Mr. Emmanuel Ayeni stated that as law-abiding citizens, they were in a lot of meetings culminating about eight(8) times in which only the academic staff of the institution who were having the same challenge were payrolled leaving them to their fates.
Ayeni also alleged that in their last meeting, they and the academic staff were asked to have a common front and harmonize their list, but none of their names except for the academic staff were shortlisted to be paid.
Reacting to the issues raised, the Vice-Chancellor of the Institution, Prof. Florence Banku Obi says as much as she empathizes with the aggrieved protesters, facts must be stated bare as there are.
Prof. Obi who commended the speaker for calling on the Federal Government to weigh into their issue said their problem is not within the power of the University to solve while stating that Universities no longer have the power to payroll staff.
\”Facts must be put straight when we want to talk. Since not everyone has been able to follow you to Abuja when you come to talk to them, tell them the truth about what happened.
\”If it were within the power of the University of Calabar\’s Vice Chancellor to payroll you and you think having been 8 times summoned before the Senate, Minister of Education, Minister of Finance, NUC, Head of Service, Federal Character which were invited and represented, would they not have sent us money and directed us to pay?
The VC further advised the aggrieved \’staff\’ to channel their powers and energies appropriately as their problem has to do with naira and kobo and without budgetary provisions, nothing could be done.
Obi however cleared the air that Universities no longer payroll staff no matter how well the VC meant except the IPPIS.
Laying the fact bare, the VC said the reason why some of the staff were not paid rolled a year and 3Months after their employment by the previous administration is that the University exceeded her employment quota.
\”We had 1000 quota to employ, we went ahead and employed more than 2000 people and we don\’t have where to pay roll them.
Why academic staff were payroll leaving the non-academic staff, Obi explained that the academic staff were given a waiver because in the 1000 quota that was given, the University was to employ 637 Academic staff and 333 Non-Academic staff, but the University went ahead and employed more than 1,800 Nonacademic staff without meeting up the 637 quotas for Academic Staff hence, the Director General, Budget Office, the Head of Service and others agreed to bend backward to absorb the 124 Academic Staff who earlier petitioned.
Furthermore, Obi said while she has sent a letter requesting the IPPIS to come and capture the 124 Academic staff, 47 others who came thereafter without budgetary provision from the budget office will follow immediately after them.
Obi who decried how some of the \’staff\’ have distorted facts to suit their narratives says she cannot stop any of them from being paid as her salary will not be deducted to pay them neither would their withheld salaries be added to her own.
