A group of women, working as cleaners for different companies at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi (ATBU), silently bear the weight of injustice, empty promises and unpaid wages despite working vigorously to keep the campuses clean, WikkiTimes’ Babaji Usman reports.
Moving from one hall to another, the cleaners at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) in Bauchi work tirelessly, their dedication masked by silent suffering.
For over 15 months, the cleaners, mostly women, many of whom are widows, have toiled without receiving a single penny in salary, often sacrificing their basic needs.
Inside the institution’s buildings, the cleaners quietly go about their duties, ensuring that the campus remains pristine for students and staff. Yet, behind their year-long sacrifice is a tale of hardship and hopelessness.
Without a regular income, these cleaners struggle to put food on the table for their families. Hunger gnaws at their stomachs, and the inability to pay for essential medical care leaves them more vulnerable in times of illness.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, the cleaners said besides hunger and inability to access medication, some victims have even been forced to watch helplessly as their children are turned away from schools due to unpaid fees.
Yelmi*, a widow and mother of five, recounts how she has been unable to afford her daughter’s medication in the hospital.
“I work hard every day to keep the university clean, but my efforts seem futile when I can’t even provide for my own family,” she lamented, tears welling in her eyes. “I have two boys and a girl who were students but were driven out because I could not pay their school fees.”
The story is the same for Aisha*, a mother of eight. She is struggling to make ends meet. She told WikkiTimes about the pain of watching her children go to bed hungry, night after night.
“We are treated as if our labour is of no value. All we ask for is the dignity of receiving our rightful wages,” she said. “Imagine, in this situation of high inflation, we were left to struggle to fend for ourselves in the face of hardship.”
There are 13 firms in the institution providing sanitation services, including A. Y Mansur, Alhaji Aminu, Atil, Bilhaq BMB, Bultu, and Confor.
Others are Global, Green Grade, Green Links, Habitat, Metropolitan Cleaners, Sodangi, and Vilhaq.
WikkiTimes findings showed that of the 13 companies, only Atil, which is owned by ATBU and three newly contracted firms; Bultu, Green Grades, Green Links, and Bultu are not owing their workers.
Victims Decry Debt Profile
Hissla* is entitled to receive a monthly salary of N10,000. But due to non-payment of her dues, her life has been overturned by financial woes.
The old woman, like other colleagues, said after several months of not getting paid, the firm she is working with resumed payment in August 2024, but failed to pay the outstanding months.
With mounting debts and bills piling up, her story described the human plight when employers fail to uphold their obligations.
For over 13 months, Hissla has been diligently working for the firm, unfortunately, her employer, CONFOR, still failed to fulfil its most basic obligation: paying its employees.
“I never imagined that I would find myself in this situation,” she added, her voice trembling with emotion, “I am now hiding from the sight of most of my neighbours, is this what we deserve?”
One of the supervisors of the cleaners, speaking anonymously to WikkiTimes, disclosed that except for one firm – Atil, others are owing their workers.
WikkiTines findings showed that Atil is owned by ATBU with over 200 workers working across buildings in both university campuses – the Yelwa and Gubi campuses.
During a visit to the campus, some workers confided that HABITAT owed them a 15-month salary backlog while SODANGI owed 12 months.
Isah Yankari, the Chairman of the Campus Cleaners Committee ATBU, pointed fingers at the managers of the contracting firms, holding them accountable for the unpaid salaries.
“The companies must pay their employees,” he said, “and any agreements the firms have with the institution are separate.”
“There was a time they (cleaners) staged a protest, and I told them they should forward their grievances to their respective firms – but not to the ATBU.”
However, he acknowledged that the university’s nine-month strike complicated the situation, citing that the institution and the contracting firms differed, but had later agreed.
“And they (workers) have acknowledged that some have not been coming to work when the institution was on strike,” he said.
to him, there are 13 companies engaged in the University carrying out sanitation in all the nooks of the institution.
“We have an additional three firms making it 12, plus Atil who also recently joined us making it 13 firms.
“The university has no direct relation with the workers, but the firms that employed them, and the University is paying those firms appropriately,” he added.
He furthered that the companies floated the contractual agreement that they pay their workers regardless of the payment of the ATBU which may not necessarily be in the monthly routine.
“There was an agreement that a firm must be financially buoyant to pay their employees even if the university delays in paying the firms, this is the agreement.
“So the firms have no reason to wait for the institution to pay them before paying their workers, and I am telling you that ATBU pays the firms appropriately,” he said.
Dr. Yankari lamented the ripple effects of delayed payments on the cleaners’ morale and productivity. “Prompt payments are crucial,” he emphasized, “to maintain the quality of work.”
In a plea to the contracting firms, he urged for transparency and accountability. “Hiding the truth serves no one,” he stressed, “it’s time to confront the challenges head-on and find solutions together.”
Sakmi* and Zillah*, both working under CONFOR, told WikkiTimes that they have not received any backlog salary, and this worsens their debt profiles.
“They (employers) resumed paying us in August for the current months and nothing else – nothing about the arrears,” they both stressed, pleading with the responsible individuals and authorities to come to their aid so that they could survive and settle their debtors.
Managers Decline Satisfactory Comments
Attempts to reach Alhaji Yahaya, one of the managers, were met with evasion. He promised to talk only about the services his firms provide but not about the issue of workers’ unpaid salaries.
Ahmed Khalid, Manager of CONFOR, was also not ready to speak on this. He cited concerns about the implications for private firms under the institution to do so.
ATBU Reacts
Zailani Bappa, the university’s spokesperson, corroborating what Dr. Yankari said, emphasized that the responsibility for paying the cleaners falls on the management of the firms – not the university.
However, these theories offer no comfort to the workers left waiting for their wages for days and months.
“All I know is the University has not floated any contractual agreement with the companies. We (the university) are not responsible for paying their workers’ salaries.
“We can only be held accountable if we do not pay the companies, and based on my knowledge we have not violated any contractual agreement with them.”
Legal View of Salary Denial
Barrister PB Elisha sees unpaid wages as a violation of workers’ basic rights and dignity. He advocates policies to ensure that employers are held accountable for their actions.
“It is a crime for an employer to deny his workers their entitlements,” Barrister Elisha said.
For the cleaners in ATBU Bauchi, the road ahead remains unpredictable.
While they continue to wait for justice to be served, their resilience shines through a test of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
NB: All names with (*) are NOT the real names of the sources who pleaded anonymity for fear of reprisal.
This report is produced with support from Civic Media Lab (CML)