Staff at Nigeria’s federal polytechnics face eight months of late salary payments after switch from IPPIS to GIFMIS. Union demands immediate action.
Staff across Nigeria’s federal polytechnics have endured eight consecutive months of delayed salaries, a situation unions describe as “mental torture” in an already challenging economy.
The problem began after tertiary institutions migrated from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS)—both supervised by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF). According to union leaders, the switch was expected to run smoothly because payroll data remained unchanged; instead, it has left employees uncertain about when—or if—their wages will arrive.
> “Eight months is far too long for what should have been a seamless transition,” one union spokesperson said. “Staff can no longer absorb the financial and emotional strain.”
Union Demands
Immediate release of June 2025 salaries and a clear timeline for subsequent payments.
Permanent fix to stop recurrent delays that threaten “fragile industrial harmony” on polytechnic campuses.
Respect for contractual obligations to avoid possible work stoppages.
Union officials warn that a strike directive may be issued if wages are not paid quickly, adding that shutdowns would persist “at the end of each month” until the issue is permanently resolved.
The OAGF has yet to provide a public timeline for clearing the backlog. Analysts caution that continued salary gaps could disrupt academic calendars, hamper research output, and trigger renewed brain drain from Nigeria’s polytechnic sector.
For staff like those at Federal Polytechnic, [insert location], the stakes are high: “We educate the nation’s workforce,” a lecturer noted. “We shouldn’t have to beg for our own pay.”
