Some of the interns who spoke with SaharaReporters said they had made efforts to get the institution to pay their allowances “even after completing their internship,” but the “University College under the leadership of Professor Jesse Otegbayo purposefully refused to pay us our hazard allowances.”
Dental technologists who worked with the University College Hospital, Ibadan (UCH-Ibadan) as interns from April 2022 to March 2023, have lamented that the management of the institution failed to pay them their nine months hazard allowance arrears from April to December 2022.
Some of the interns who spoke with SaharaReporters said they had made efforts to get the institution to pay their allowances “even after completing their internship,” but the “University College under the leadership of Professor Jesse Otegbayo purposefully refused to pay us our hazard allowances.”
They lamented that “all efforts made from every aspect to reach out to the management to know why our hazard allowance has not been paid has proved abortive”.
“All we keep hearing is that ‘UCH-Ibadan is not owing anyone, they will later pay you’ but those carrying the rumours can't say the exact time we will get paid,” one of the affected persons said.
Another aggrieved intern said, “We gathered that interns are under non-regular staff whose payment platform is Government Integrated Financial and Management Information System (GIFMIS), meaning that interns are paid from the hospital revenue which will be approved by the management and not from any office in Abuja as they used to claim.
“We are pleading with the royal fathers in Ibadan, Olubadan of Ibadan and the UCH board chairman, Ibrahim Bako Shettima, to help us look into the matter because we are being deprived of our right and entitlements.”
They warned that “if the payment of our arrears for hazard allowance is not paid within 21 official days of this publication, we will not hesitate to embark on a peaceful protest before we report the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo to the officials of ICPC (Independent Corrupt Practices Commission) and EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) regarding the matter.”
When contacted over the matter, the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Obafunmilayo Enitan Adetuyibi, said that it was true that the money had not been paid, but added that it was not the UCH that owed them.
"We have written letters to the Accountant General for their payment to be made because their money is going to be paid directly into their accounts. It is not safe that the money be paid into the UCH account, then we remit it to them.
"Their money is being paid through GIFMIS. So, the money has not been credited yet into their own personal accounts. For members of staff, our mode of payment is through IPPIS (Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System), and theirs is through GIFMIS.
"All the documents needed for them to be paid have been moved to the Accountant General. So, we are just expecting that they would credit them. It is so sad and the management is trying all possible means. We have sent reminders several times. So, it is not the UCH that owes them."