Nigeria’s Tertiary Institutions’ Non-Academic Staff Suffer Amid Official Neglect 

As the gatekeeper of Unimaid Radio, the campus radio station of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, Abba Kyari’s day begins before dawn. He’s not only in charge of opening the station very early, but he is also responsible for the smooth running of the station’s powerhouse, which consists of solar-powered inverters and a diesel-run generator.

Despite his dedication to work, Abba struggles to make ends meet due to poor treatment and irregular salary payments. While the father of three earns ₦10,000 ($6.1) monthly, he does not get paid consistently. Abba estimates he is owed at least ₦200,000 ($122.8) in arrears, with the most recent payment made five months ago.

“I struggle to survive,” Abba told HumAngle amid frustration. “Before the last payment I got in July, we didn’t receive anything since February. We can work for seven months or more without receiving salaries. And when they pay, it’s not beyond ₦20,000 ($12.3).”

He added that the country’s worsening economic situation has further deepened his challenges as he is forced to trek 8 kilometres to and from work daily because he cannot afford the ₦800 ($0.49) transportation cost. The lack of consistent income has also taken a toll on his family’s well-being.

“My colleagues and I survive on gifts from academic staff and students,” Abba explained. “They give me money out of kindness, and I use that to take care of my family’s needs.”

Abba told HumAngle that he usually runs errands for lecturers and washes their cars, for which they give him money for the service. His siblings and friends occasionally lend a hand, such as buying school supplies for his children.

Widespread problem 

Abba’s situation is not unique. He’s just one of many non-academic staff often neglected in Nigerian tertiary institutions. While they constitute the foundation of educational institutions, they suffer from systemic unfairness, neglect, and unfulfilled promises. 

From the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) to Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), University of Lagos (UNILAG), University of Jos (UNIJOS), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), University of Benin (UNIBEN) and many other campuses, the complaints of non-academic workers are similar.

Some said the inability of the federal government to pay their withheld salaries since 2022 has not only deprived their children of education but also caused them to battle overwhelming rent arrears, insurmountable medical expenses, and the crippling shame of begging. Even those who have retired continue to suffer because authorities deny them and their families their entitlement, including death benefits.

In 2022, under former President Muhammadu Buhari, the government invoked a “no work, no pay” policy during a prolonged strike over poor working conditions. While lecturers’ salaries have since been paid, members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) remain excluded.

The leadership of the two unions said their members suffered untoward injuries due to the official neglect. 

Hunger, homelessness and humiliation

At Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, Kaduna State, Margaret Simon, a hostel cleaner, has become used to hunger and the weight of unpaid wages. Even now that she’s on duty working day and night, two months have passed since she got her last payment. 

As a mother of four, Margaret’s situation is dire. So, she relies on her hair-making skills to make ends meet. “Since I don’t get paid regularly, I survive with whatever I can make from hair-making, and it’s what I use to feed my children,” she said. 

Although Abba and Margaret are contract staff employed by their respective institutions, they were also denied regular pay. 

Segun Abiona, an administrative staff at OAU, Ile-Ife, said he has ‘lost his voice as head of the family’ due to his inability to provide basic needs at home. “My wife now takes responsibility at home,” he said amid frustration.  

When Abiona received a quit notice from his landlord last month because he could not pay the rent of a two-bedroom apartment they reside in the Lagere area of Ile-Ife, he moved his wife and two children to his church where they now squat. 

However, the humiliation and shame of not being able to provide for his immediate family is taking a toll on Abiona’s mental health, leaving him to feel helpless.

“My wife sells petty provisions in a secondary school, and she’s been taking charge of it since the federal government failed to pay non-academic staff regularly. I have a son that’s supposed to resume university this year, but he could not due to financial constraints,” he told HumAngle. 

Will industrial actions address workers’ challenges?

HumAngle learnt that the migration of federal workers’ payment from the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform, an IT-based system for budget management and accounting, also contributed to irregular payment of non-academic workers. 

The federal government claimed it conceived IPPIS to provide a reliable and comprehensive database for the public service to address the problem of ‘ghost workers’, but it has generated a lot of kerfuffles, including irregular payment of workers. 

The government has, however, reverted to GIFMIS for workers’ payments. However, outstanding payments have not been made to NASU and SSANU members. 

Though there have been different protests and industrial actions in the past, multiple sources among the non-teaching staff insisted that they won’t back out until authorities pay their withheld salaries. 

On Oct. 28, the joint action committee of non-teaching staff unions in federal universities declared a nationwide strike that lasted for a week. The strike was suspended after the federal government released a month’s worth of the withheld salaries to workers alongside some pending benefits for retirees. 

Recently, the Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, called on the aggrieved unions of tertiary institutions to trust the government’s commitment to addressing their demands.

“The Government cherish our relationship with the unions and is fully committed to doing everything in our power to ensure that our children are kept in school and that their educational progress is not disrupted or hindered by strikes. The President has issued a clear mandate to all ministers involved in our education sector to prevent any further strike actions in our academic institutions. This is a directive that I, along with the Ministry of Education, are fully committed to upholding,” Alausa said.

However, at the time of filing this report, many workers said they still had yet to be paid. The government is yet to fulfil its promise of paying the remaining two months’ withheld salaries, the ₦50 billion in earned allowances,  and a proposed wage award.

Meanwhile, Alausa has yet to respond to HumAngle’s enquiries seeking updates on efforts to address the workers’ plights.

“The disregard for non-academic staff who keep campuses running is embarrassing. They are as important as teaching staff and should be treated equally,” said Olushola Sulaiman, former Director of Education and Training at the Lagos State Ministry of Education. “The stories of these workers reveal a disturbing pattern of exploitation. Those working behind the scenes to ensure a functional learning environment should not be treated as if they do not matter in the system.” 

Sulaiman, therefore, urged the federal government to acknowledge the role of non-academic staff and provide them with the fair compensation and respect they deserve.