…Made Heads of Department to earn #50k monthly
-Attributes Poor remuneration as reason for Sorting
Despite the urgent need for the Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri, to employ more staff, those engaged as casual workers since July 2023 have reportedly not been paid for the past 14 months. They are also yet to be confirmed as substantive staff of the university.
Some of the affected staff, who spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity, said they were employed in July 2023 on a monthly salary of fifty thousand naira, despite the fact that many of them hold Master’s and PhD degrees.
“We also perform the duties of those employed as Lecturer I, Lecturer II, and even Heads of Departments (HODs). Yet, the government has not deemed it necessary to confirm our appointments as substantive staff,” one of them said.
They further stated that several departments in the university are currently headed by casual staff due to a shortage of manpower.
“Some of those who retired many years ago have yet to be replaced,” a source added.
The source attributed the high rate of what is popularly referred to as “sorting” in the university to poor remuneration and non-payment of salaries, alleging that the situation has persisted for quite some time.
The staff also claimed that although the Vice-Chancellor has reportedly stated that he is doing his best to address the challenges, little progress has been made.
“Regrettably, each time we complain about our plight, we are told to be content with the sale of textbooks and ‘sorting,’ as though the latter is legitimate. This has unfortunately been the situation at IMSU for quite some time,” the source said.
Efforts to reach the university’s Public Relations Officer for comment proved abortive.
