Four Years After, UNICAL Staff Employed By Past Admin Remain At Home

Four years after, majority of the people that were legitimately employed one year to the end of the past administration at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) are still at home as the current management has blatantly refused to allow them work or complete documentation. This is despite the fact that the same administration is being investigated for allegedly inputting names into the payroll.

It’s sad to see the level of vindictiveness displayed by the current administration, which seems to be targeting the former Vice Chancellor, Prof. Zana Akpagu. But 99.9% of the affected staff are not related to the former VC and are innocent victims. Why not wear a human face and allow them complete documentation and commence work? These people will be paid with government funds not anybody’s personal resources.

Besides, this administration is winding down already. A new Vice Chancellor will be appointed in the next ten months. Why not bring them now to work after all, if you consider them liabilities, your administration have escaped the liabilities for four years?

Till date, UNICAL remains the only university in Nigeria with this problem. For those of us who understand the context of the recruitment when the federal government insisted on IPPIS, we will never understand the explanation on why they were stopped from working even though their appointment letters are valid.

Nevertheless, despite the efforts of the management to get the former governing council to invalidate the appointment letters, the Chairman insisted that such recruitment happened across all universities including Northern universities. Therefore, he couldn’t in good conscience, preside over a session that would take such wicked decision against innocent people. Yet, the management has maintained its stance that these people must remain at home!

What level of inhumanity is this? It is really unfortunate that this iniquitous action is being meted on innocent Cross Riverians by a fellow Cross Riverian.

I appeal to the Vice Chancellor or those who have her ears to persuade her to end on a more positive note than she started by inviting these innocent people who are only victims of vendetta to complete their documentation and resume work. Even if payment will be delayed till the end of her tenure, let it be that government’s owing them.

Similarly, because the majority of those affected are Cross Riverians, I urge Governor Bassey Otu to invite the Vice Chancellor for a discussion with a view to resolving this issue. This is what we see happening n other states. Our leaders should not turn a blind eye to this situation since it is a federal institution. If there’s a breakdown in law and order from this situation now, it’s the state that’ll be the most affected.

The VC needs all the help now to end her administration in a way that posterity will judge her aright.