No going back on IPPIS – FG resurfaces says We Haven’t Exempted ASUU, ASUU blows hot

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ASUU: Buhari gov't finally reveals when Nigeria Universities will reopen

The Federal Government of Nigeria has resurfaced to debunked the report that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has been exempted from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, platform.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said that government was quoted out of context on the matter, saying, there was no meeting it was agreed that ASUU would be exempted from the IPPIS payment platform.

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The Minister explained that at the meeting with the leadership of the university teachers, government agreed that ASUU members that were yet to enroll on IPPIS will be paid through the platform with which they were paid the President Muhammadu Buhari’s compassionate COVID-19 payment in the months of February and June.

He further said that the platform was a hybrid platform between IPPIS and the Government Integrated Financial Management and Information System, GIFMIS platform which is for the transition period, adding that no government payment will be done without IPPIS knowing.

He said that IPPIS and GIFMIS would be used in paying the university teachers for the transition period, while the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS continues to undergo all the integrity test and cyber security test for confirmation for use

Reacting to the purported exemption given to ASUU on IPPIS, the Minister said, “The situation is that you need to get our communique to ASUU, I think it is better because a lot of people are quoting us out of context saying that we abandoned the IPPIS and that we said they should not be on IPPIS, it is not true.

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“What we said in the meeting and what we agreed was that in the interim for the transition period that UTAS is being tested by NITDA and the Office of National Security Adviser for cyber security.

“For those transition period, ASUU members that are not yet on IPPIS will be paid through the platform with which they were paid the President compassionate COVID-19 payment done to them between the months of February and June.

“That platform is a hybrid platform between IPPIS and MINPSI platform for the transition period, that is what was used, it’s a hybrid. This is because no government payment will be done without IPPIS knowing.

“So there is a handshake between IPPIS and MINSI platform and that was what was used in paying them for that period and so we are going to continue with that until UTAS undergoes all the integrity test and cyber security test and it is confirmed for use.”

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Also commenting on the new offer to ASUU, Ngige said, “The offer made is clear. You can understand it this way. Prior to meeting of yesterday, Government brought an aggregate offer of N50 billion to ASUU. N20 billion for revitalisation to show good faith that government is still with them on the issue of funding for revitalisation and pending the affirmation of the new sources of funding public education.

“There is a committee on that and the committee is working on sourcing new education funds, it is a NEEDS (Needs Assessment) committee. So pending that NEEDS committee effecting a new funding source and strategy, government offered them N20 billion for revitalisation apart from the funds that are coming from TETFUNDS that is also used for revitalisation, they refused the N20 billion and said that they want N110 billion.

“And that N110 billion is 50 percent of a tranche of N220 billion government said they don’t have that kind of money and then increased that N20 billion by N5 billion to become N25 billion and if it becomes N25 billion, the Earned Allowances will be raised to N40 billion immediate payment making for a total of N65 billion for revitalisation and Earned Allowances in the universities.

“Government then said alternatively, ASUU can opt for the revitalisation to move up to N30 billion, while the Earned Allowances for all the unions in the universities will drop from N40 billion to N35 billion, that is the second basket offered them, either of the two. Either you choose N25 billion revitalisation plus N40 billion Earned Allowances or revitalisation of N30 billion and N35 billion Earned Allowances. ”

IPPIS: ASUU blows hot after meeting with Buhari govt, reveals those who only can call off strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on Saturday, declared that it’s members are not in a hurry to call off the prolonged industrial action.

Dr Edor J. Edor, the ASUU Chairman of University of Calabar said lecturers are determined to ensure that the challenges of universities are substantially resolved.

In an exclusive interview with DAILY POST, Edor explained that the lingering strike was also in the interest of students.

Edor stated that the accommodations issues of students on university campuses would be adequately taken care of if government meets ASUU demands.

The ASUU Chairman also insisted that the union has not reached any agreement with the federal government, despite the latest meeting.

On ASUU calling off its strike, Edor disclosed that only the union branches can suspend the current industrial action.

He said the branches would hold their congresses next week, after which a decision would be made on the prolonged strike

According to Edor: “It’s the branches of ASUU that has the supreme power to say we have heard government’s proposal and are comfortable or we are not comfortable.

“For now, the branches have not held their congresses and we may hold our congresses early next week then we will decide if to call off strike or not.

“The situation as it is now is that between ASUU and the federal government there is no agreement yet.

“We will wish that the Nigerian students, parents, leaders, traditional rulers, civil societies and opinion leaders of various communities should understand that it’s in the interest of these students that we are embarking on this action.

“It is so that they would have hope that we are on this action, we are actually on this action so that Nigerian students would no longer cluster in their hostels when they resume school. We are actually on this action so that our daughters who live like sardines in the hostels in the name of accommodation would have spacious and ventilated accommodations. All of them who live in the hostels, I’m making no exception, they have no clean and decent toilet to ease themselves.

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“When we are calling for revitalization funds for public universities, we are actually fighting to improve the standard of living of our students who are our children so that we will have decent offices to work in, standard laboratories, standard theatres and other structural materials. We are actually wishing our students and children well and on top of that, we are saying the university teacher can’t take a second place in the society, it’s not done in any part of the world. The people we groom and churn into the society gets there and begins to lord it over us.

“Nigerian government should at least look into the welfare of our members. We are hell bent on government solving this problem this time substantially, we are not in a hurry to suspend this action.”

The federal government had excluded academic staff from the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System, IPPIS, payment system.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Labour and Employment after a meeting between a delegation of the federal government and ASUU leadership in Abuja on Friday.

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