05/07/2025
*Mr. President, Your Subordinates Are Undermining Your 2027 Chances—University Workers Are Watching*
By
Nuraddeen Danjuma,
Bayero University, Kano
Dear Mr. President,
With all due respect, I write this letter not just as a university staff member but as a concerned Nigerian, a father, a breadwinner, and a citizen whose rights and dignity are under quiet siege. I write on behalf of thousands of academic and non-academic staff in federal tertiary institutions across Nigeria. *As of today, July 5, 2025, no university staff under the federal payroll has received their June salary. Over 100 tertiary institutions in Nigeria: 63 Federal Universities, 36 Federal Polytechnics and 27 Federal Colleges of Education as well as many institutions remain unpaid*. This is not only economically disastrous but morally reprehensible. The purpose of this letter is *not to criticize, but to lament with hope—that you will hear and act before irreversible damage is done.*
Sir, your subordinates, particularly within the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), are doing you no favours. Mr. President, these your subordinates are actively undermining your promises to the Nigerian people. Their actions are not only jeopardizing your legacy but are also alienating a critical sector of the Nigerian workforce: *the university system.* Through unexplained and repeated delays in salary disbursement, they are turning loyal Nigerians into resentful observers of government policy. We now get paid in the middle of every month, sometimes even later, due to what has been termed “ *lack of financial backing from the OAGF* .” This is unacceptable for a country that claims to value education and the people who sustain it.
Worse still, university staff who lawfully rejected the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) are now being punished for simply standing for their rights. We are being blackmailed, side-lined, and denied our rightful entitlements. What does this say about fairness and equity in the country? This punitive treatment meted out to us who, in good conscience, rejected the controversial Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) is not acceptable. Our rejection of IPPIS is a principled stand—anchored in autonomy, legality, and fairness. It should not attract persecution. Let me tell those behind this cruelty that on IPPIS – no retreat no surrender.
The Holy Qur’an warns against such injustice:
Do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to the rulers in order that [they might aid] you to consume a portion of the wealth of others while you know [it is unlawful].” Qur’an 2:188
and in the
Holy Bible, the scripture reminds leaders:
“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees.” Isaiah 10:1
Furthermore, the unpaid 23.5%/35% salary arrears for 12 months, which were given to other MDAs in December 2024, have yet to be released to university staff. Why this selective justice? We all work for the same federal government. Or are university staff lesser Nigerians?. The reason is not unclear—it is punishment for opposing IPPIS. But is it just? Is it fair? Does it reflect the values of a democratic government?
Martin Luther King Jr. once said:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Malcolm X also warned:
“If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed.”
On the issue of the negotiated salary package which is on your table, Mr. President, we hope that it will be treated with the urgency it deserves. Months have passed and you are silent. In the holy books, such silence in the face of injustice is condemned.
The Holy Qur’an teaches:
“O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin.” Qur’an 4:135
The Bible reminds us:
The labourer is worthy of his wages." (Luke 10:7)
Nelson Mandela wisely stated:
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children—and its teachers.”
As the Yoruba would wisely say:
“Ti a bá n fi owó ọwọ́ ká ọmọ, a tún n fi ọwọ́ kejì fà á mọ́ra.” ("When we discipline a child with one hand, we must draw them closer with the other.")
*But in our case, both hands are used to punish Nigerian Academics.*
Mr. President, the political implication of this neglect cannot be overemphasized as we will not continue to suffer in silence forever. Though we may not speak often, but we carry with us the power of our votes, and come 2027, we will not forget. A popular Yoruba adage says:
"Ti omode ba subu a wo iwaju, sugbon ti agbalagba ba subu, a wo ehin wo." (“When a child falls, he looks ahead. When an elder falls, he looks back to see what made him fall.”)
Sir, look back before it is too late. Your foot soldiers are digging a political pit beneath your legacy. If they continue this way, they will cost you the trust and support of the Nigerian academic community and our families nationwide.
Sir, our families are watching. Our children are watching. They hear the silent cries at home. Many are beginning to question the relevance of serving a country that does not serve them in return. How long shall we continue like this? What sin have university workers committed that deserves this level of cruelty?
We are not enemies of the government or anyone. We are patriots. We are also Nigerians. We are professionals giving our all, even when morale is low and our pockets are empty. We teach under severe constraints—dilapidated infrastructure, outdated tools, poor remuneration—and yet we continue to nurture the future of this country. But enough is enough.
Like every other citizen, we deserve to live with dignity. Mr. President you still have time to steer this ship away from the rocks. The university community is not your enemy; we are your partners in building a better Nigeria. We urge you, in the name of God and in the spirit of justice, to:
a. Instruct the OAGF to immediately pay our June 2025 salaries and promptly and regularly disburse our salary going forward.
b. Pay the outstanding 12 months 23.5%/35% arrears to university staff as done to other FG staff in MDAs.
c. Approve and implement the new negotiated salary structure.
d. Stop the punitive treatment of staff who rejected IPPIS.
We remain loyal Nigerians, but our patience has limits. Mr. President, please act. Let me be blunt, Mr. President: how can people, in good conscience, support who punish them come 2027, when their families have been left in this state of neglect?
Surely, our pain, our hunger, and our disappointment will not be forgotten at the ballot box. History will remember those who stood for justice—and those who stood aside. Like *Vachellia tortilis* (Umbrella Tree, one of the most resilient trees in the Desert), our resolution remains resolute on this IPPIS.
