ASUU and FG at Loggerheads Over IPPIS

The demand for Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement, revitalization, among others were the conditions laid down by ASUU when it embarked on the nationwide strike which started on 23^rd of March, 2020.

In a statement made by Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, ASUU President, he urged the Federal Government to reconsider its stand and take off the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information Service (IPPIS) from Nigerian Universities.

ASUU pleaded with Nigerians to bear with them and have it in mind that they are fighting every Nigerian battle for better and improved government universities.

“Our Union is struggling to ensure that the children of the poor, who cannot afford the prohibitive cost paid in private universities or do not have opportunities to study outside Nigeria, get quality education which is not priced beyond their reach.

“This will only happen when government adequately funds public universities and addresses the rot and decay in them.

“ASUU has shifted positions in some respects.

“For instance, our members have reduced their demand of one tranche N220bn of the outstanding revitalization fund by 50 per cent.

“The Union has also agreed that N30bn out of the so far verified arrears of N40bn of the earned academic allowances (EAA) be paid to our members while the balance of N10bn could be spread over the next two tranches,

“We were equally making steady progress on other issues,” he explained.

ASUU President, Prof. Ogunyemi, clarified that the major delay in reaching a conclusive agreement was government insistence on the acceptance of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) platform by all federal universities in the country and the condition that the payment of withheld salaries and other due entitlements will be paid through the IPPIS

He added that the government is imposing IPPIS on Nigerian universities which is against the provision of the law on autonomy and universal practices.

However, he said that although the IPPIS was engineered by the World Bank, the UTAS was locally developed by ASUU members and the union is at the final stage of the integrity test of the Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)

Prof. Ogunyemi said UTAS had been presented to the Minister of Education and senior management staff, the President and leadership of Senate, and the Office of the Accountant-General where NITDA and Office of the National Security Adviser and other MDAs were fully represented.

“Last Thursday, 5th November, 2020, the National Universities Commission (NUC) facilitated the presentation of UTAS to Vice-Chancellors and Bursars of federal universities.

“All questions raised at the four levels of presentation of UTAS were satisfactorily answered.

“With the full cooperation of the concerned agencies, the final test with NITDA could be completed as a matter of days and UTAS adopted in place of IPPIS in our universities.

“ASUU disagrees with government on the use of IPPIS during the so-called transition period.

“In practical terms, there is no transition period if government is sincere,”Ogunyemi added.

Prof. Ogunyemi, said they are at the last stage of integrity test for UTAS, however, over three-quarters of ASUU members are yet to be registered on IPPIS and it will take longer to capture them all on the IPPIS system.

He said the rumor that the GIFMIS platform used in paying ASUU members’ salaries before the advent of IPPIS is false. He claimed that some of its members received part of their withheld salaries last week despite not been registered on the IPPIS platform.

“But, in furtherance of the attack on ASUU, the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) has illegally seized all the deducted union check-off dues of our members in the last nine months.

“So, government should release all what is due ASUU members and the union without the conditionality of IPPIS.

“That would enable us conclude on the outstanding five demands including revitalisation, EAA, renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement, inauguration of the Visitation Panels.

“Others are proliferation of state universities and governance issues in them of the Union to pave way for the quick resolution of the lingering crisis.

“It is government that is prolonging the matter, not ASUU,” he added.