Hundreds of non-academic employees recruited by the University of Calabar during the 2019/2020 employment exercise may soon return to work and begin receiving salaries following a directive by the House of Representatives ordering their immediate reinstatement and placement on the institution’s payroll.

The directive followed the adoption of recommendations contained in a report submitted by the House Committee on Public Petitions, chaired by the member representing Michika/Madagali Federal Constituency of Adamawa State, Bitrus Kwamoti.

The decision marks a significant development in a dispute that has lingered for years and left many affected workers without salaries despite claims that they were duly recruited and completed all required documentation.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that the workers had earlier petitioned the House of Representatives, alleging that although they were employed by the university, they were excluded from the payroll system and consequently denied remuneration.

The petitioners told lawmakers that the situation had subjected them and their families to severe financial hardship, as they remained without income despite fulfilling employment requirements and reporting for duty.

The matter attracted the attention of the House, which summoned the then Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Florence Obi, to explain the circumstances surrounding the recruitment exercise and the exclusion of the workers from the payroll.

Following the intervention of the House, the university management was directed to harmonise and process the names of the affected employees.

However, the petitioners later alleged that only academic staff recruited during the same exercise were eventually captured on the payroll, while their non-academic counterparts remained excluded.

Fresh hope emerged for the affected workers after the House Committee on Public Petitions concluded its investigation and submitted its findings for consideration by the Green Chamber last week.

According to the report obtained by our correspondent and subsequently adopted by the House, the legislature directed the university authorities to take immediate steps to regularise the appointments of all affected staff.

Among the recommendations adopted by the House is a directive to the management of the University of Calabar to immediately place on the payroll all duly recruited academic and non-academic staff from the 2019/2020 exercise as contained in the verified list of 385 employees submitted to the committee.

The House also directed the university management to issue staff numbers to the affected employees and forward their names for capture on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.

The IPPIS is the Federal Government’s centralised payroll platform used for salary administration across federal institutions.

The latest intervention by the House is expected to bring relief to the affected employees, many of whom have spent years seeking recognition of their appointments and payment of their entitlements.

The development also underscores the National Assembly’s oversight role in addressing grievances arising from recruitment and payroll administration in federal institutions, particularly where workers claim to have been denied benefits despite meeting employment requirements.

While the university management is yet to publicly react to the House resolution, stakeholders will be watching closely to see how quickly the directives are implemented and whether the affected workers are finally integrated into the payroll system after years of uncertainty. (Sunday PUNCH)