Unpaid UNIZIK Workers Highlight Plight Amid Alleged Secret Recruitments

By Our Correspondent

In what appeared to be a carefully framed gesture of loyalty and silent plea for justice, a group of unpaid workers at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, seized the birthday celebration of the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi, to bring attention to their prolonged suffering in the system.

Describing Prof. Arinze-Umobi as a compassionate and empathetic leader, the group expressed hope that her emergence would mark a turning point in their long wait for justice and regularization.

Many of the workers, who have been serving in various capacities at the university for upward of five to six years without pay, subtly reminded the VC of their precarious situation.

“Some of us were recruited in 2019, others in 2020 and 2021, but we’ve remained unpaid and unrecognized,” one of them told The RAZOR News.

Amidst warm wishes and prayers for the Vice Chancellor, the workers’ message was clear: their situation is dire and demands urgent attention.

Investigations by The RAZOR News reveal that while these workers remain in limbo, reports have emerged of alleged secret recruitments currently going on in the university.

Some sources say newer staff are being smuggled into the system for enrollment and payment, while those who have been serving for years are left out.

“In 2022, a few from recent years were quietly selected for salary enrollment, while earlier recruits were ignored.

There are also disturbing claims that some of the unpaid staff were allegedly made to pay unofficial fees during their recruitment process — a practice now regarded as exploitative.

“Some of us paid money to secure these jobs. Now years have passed, and we are still not on the payroll. Meanwhile, others are being brought in through the back door,” a visibly emotional worker said.

Worse still, it was gathered that a number of these unpaid workers have died while awaiting official recognition, while others live in dire conditions.

While Prof. Arinze-Umobi has not yet publicly addressed the matter, the symbolic show of solidarity on her birthday is seen as both a plea and a vote of confidence in her leadership to bring long-awaited reforms.