Human rights lawyer Odo Godfrey Chikwere has highlighted the plight of Dr. Enyi Onyebuchi Paul, a doctorate degree holder earning less than ₦70,000 a month while working as a cleaner and messenger at Ebonyi State University (EBSU).
Dr. Paul, who hails from Ikelegu Ishieke in Ndiabor community, Ebonyi LGA, obtained his PhD in Mathematics Education in 2022. Despite his qualifications, the university has refused to convert him to an academic position.
Sharing his story, Chikwere wrote:
“This is one of your brothers, a PhD holder earning ₦70,000 a month at EBSU. His case should be an embarrassment to anyone he has approached for help, yet they turned him down. It should also be a shame to EBSU as a whole.”
Dr. Paul joined EBSU as a cleaner in 2007 and worked his way through university, earning a B.Sc. in 2013, an M.Sc. in 2017, and finally a PhD in 2022. However, despite his dedication, he remains in the same non-academic role.
Chikwere further alleged that under a former vice-chancellor, six external candidates were employed in the very department where Dr. Paul is qualified to work, yet his request for conversion was ignored because he lacked influential connections.
“EBSU should have recognized his hard work and used him as a reference point for perseverance. But because he knows no one at the top, he remains a cleaner with a PhD.”
He also called on well-meaning individuals from the Izzi community to step in and help Dr. Paul secure a more suitable position.
“If Izzi people don’t take advantage of these four or eight years, then these four or eight years will take advantage of them.”
Dr. Paul’s story raises pressing questions about meritocracy, employment fairness, and the role of influential connections in career advancement within Nigeria’s academic institutions.
