The workers said they had yet to receive any salary since
they were employed three years ago as they were excluded from the state’s
payroll.
According to them, this was mainly because of the
university’s inability to be financially autonomous following the integration
of the university under the office of the state Head of Service during the
administration of a former governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufai.
Some of the employees who spoke with our correspondent under
anonymity for fear of being victimised, said they had also been denied access
to the state health insurance scheme, as newly employed workers could not be
enrolled in the scheme without their printed monthly pay slips.
One of them, who claimed he was owed for 22 months, said,
“After I came back, after the necessary documentation, I was upgraded to (the
position) assistant lecturer and confirmed after staying two years but to date,
I haven’t been paid.
“The people I travelled with were enrolled into the payment
system in February this year whereas my colleagues and I have not been
enrolled.
“It has been hard because as an academic staff (member), you
are working and then you see your colleagues getting (credit) alerts whereas
you are not getting anything. It is demoralising and things are very hard,” the
worker added.
Another affected worker said, “I was given an appointment in
September last year (2023). Three months later, we were given a variation form
to fill out. It was a salary form that captured all our details.
“We thought that by December (2023), we would see our salary
but after the first quarter of 2023 and nothing, we began following up with the
State House.”
When contacted, the state Head of Service, Hajia Habiba
Shekarau, told our correspondent to speak with the management of the
university.
“Please talk to KASU because KASU is an autonomous body,”
she said.
However, the Public Relations Officer of the university,
Adamu Bargo, said the university did not have total autonomy because the
salaries were paid by the state government and not the university.
“We urge them to exercise patience as the university is on
top of the matter,” he added.