Tension As Federal Government Stops Salaries Of ASUU Members

Following the refusal of the academic staff of tertiary institutions in Nigeria to be enrolled in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS, the Federal Government has directed  that the salaries of the concerned staff be stopped immediately

According to the report gathered, the accountant-general of the federation through a letter signed by the Director of IPPIS, Olufehinti, O. J, asked the finance minister not to release funds meant for January salaries to members of the academic community, saying payments would be made through the IPPIS platform.

The letter captioned, “Request for stoppage of the release of funds for January Salaries to federal universities, Polytechnics and colleges of education”,

The letter reads, “I am directed to inform you that the preparation of January 2020 salary payroll and warrant of the federal tertiary institutions are on-gong and will be ready for submission on or before 29th of January, 2020.

“This is to give effect to the directive of the federal government that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies drawing personnel cost from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, CRF, should be enrolled on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS.

“In order to actualise this directive, you are please requested not to release the funds for payment of salaries to the tertiary institutions as their salaries will henceforth be paid on the IPPIS platform with effect from January 2020.”

The directive on non-payment of salaries comes three weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari hosted members of The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the presidential villa in Abuja over the IPPIS controversy.

ASSU had rejected the federal government’s directive for workers to enrol in the centralized payroll system, saying it would affect the autonomy of universities.

Naija News recalls that the union had instead proposed the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) “to address the peculiar cases of lecturers in the payment of salaries and other emoluments”.