IPPIS: No Pay, No Work, ASUU Dares FG

ASUU Dares FG On IPPIS Implementation

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to down tools over plans by the federal government to enrol university workers in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

The body made its position known on Sunday during a press conference held at the University of Ibadan by its South-West branch.

It will be recalled as earlier published by Naija News that the federal government through the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed while speaking last Thursday at the budget defence session organised by the Senate Committee on Finance in Abuja had insisted there is no going back the deadline for the implementation of the system.

The IPPIS, which was introduced in 2007, is aimed at centralising payroll and payment systems, facilitating convenient staff remuneration with minimal wastage as well as aiding manpower training and budgeting.

The South-West Coordinator of the union, Prof. Ade Adejumo, in the company of the Chairman of the University of Ibadan chapter, Prof Deji Omole, and its Investment Secretary, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, addressed newsmen at the ASUU Secretariat on the UI campus.

The ASUU leaders said contrary to the position of the federal government on IPPIS, the system negated the legal administration of universities and is capable of promoting corruption.

Prof. Adejumo said the body will deploy the no pay, no work policy should the federal government go ahead with its plan to stop payment to any worker that fails to register for the IPPIS by October 31 2019.

He said, “Sequel to this fact of the peculiar nature of universities from the civil service, Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government, government had agreed to the autonomy of public universities in Nigeria and had signed into law the Universities Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Act in 2003.

“The IPPIS clearly violates the law. The Universities Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Act 2003, provides in Section 2AA unequivocally, as follows: ‘the power of the council shall be exercised, as in the laws and statutes of each university and to that extent, establishment circulars that are inconsistent with the laws and statutes of the university shall not apply to the universities.

“Inter alia, the 1992 Act establishing, for example, the Federal Universities of Agriculture Section 8 (1 and 4) provides; ‘Subject to the provisions of this Act relating to the visitor, the council shall be the governing body of each university and shall be charged with the general control and superintendence of the policy, finance and property of the university. The council shall ensure that proper accounts of the university are kept and that the accounts of the university are audited annually by an independent firm of auditors approved by the council.’

“Our union has no reason to believe that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will flagrantly act against the law, which he vowed to uphold in his oath of office.”

The union said the government is trying to provide a “one size fits all solution” with the IPPIS as the retirement schedule of academics is 70 years for professors, while the IPPIS only recognised 60 years of age.

He stated, “The IPPIS is too rigid a platform that it discountenances the peculiarities of the university system in the sacred areas of replacement or recruitment of academics, mobility of academic staff for visiting, adjunct, part-time and sabbatical offers.

“Not only these, academics are chopped off the platform at the age of 60 thereby creating bottlenecks in the collection of salaries and emoluments because once the name of a worker is removed, such a victim will continue to frequent Abuja until it is rectified. The victim not only abandons his duty post, but faces the hazards on the Nigerian roads. The platform also does not capture the earned academic allowances and remunerations due to academics who retire before the age of 65.”