IPPIS: ASUU tackles Buhari, says ‘we’re not shifting ground’

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on Monday, insisted that its members will not enrol on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive.

President Buhari had, during budget presentation last Thursday, said only Federal staff that have been captured on the IPPIS platform will receive salaries.

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He said the measure was to check fraud, including the payment of salaries to non-existent personnel.

But addressing newsmen after a closed door meeting with the leadership of the Senate, ASUU President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, said the union had developed a home-grown platform called University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), which will serve as alternative to IPPIS.

“We have never shifted from that position. So, on UTAS we stand,” Prof Ogunyemi said.

He said the union had a meeting with the federal government on UTAS but there was no response from the government until five years later to say it is IPPIS or no salary.

He said “UTAS is home-grown while IPPIS is foreign. We are talking about local content. We have shown that we are inventors, we are creators of software and we are also capable of doing what our colleagues are doing in other parts of the world. So, Nigerian scholars are not inferior. Why should we be patronising foreigners for what we can do in Nigeria?”

Prof Ogunyemi also lamented that there were five outstanding issues from the memorandum of action it signed with the government.

He said the union’s demands hold the future for quality university education in Nigeria.

‘Be wary of unimplementable deals’

Senate President Ahmad Lawan deplored the failure of the federal government to implement the agreements it signed with ASUU.

“Why did you sign in the first place?” he queried, noting that agreements must be signed with full intention of implementing them.

He said, “I think as parliamentarians, we have to tell the truth as it is, no matter how bitter it may be at the right place and at the right time.

“When we sign agreements we must do so with full intention of implementing them. And when we negotiate, we must negotiate in such a manner that the final product will be implementable.”

Lawan, however, said the meeting was to explore ways for both parties to find a common ground on the agreements.

He said, “We really don’t need this kind of situation where our Universities are shut. Our children are the victims of this.

“Therefore, the government and ASUU ought to find a common ground for our institutions, particularly our Universities to open and of course, offer the kind of services that are expected of our Universities.”