Education
MEMBERS of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) did not enrol yesterday into the controversial Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
The Federal Government had directed that workers at its universities and colleges of education across the country enrol into the new payroll.
Our correspondents, who were at Federal universities to monitor compliance with the directive, report that the union members remained recalcitrant.
At the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the Federal College of Education (Technical) both in Akoka, Lagos, the enrolment did not take off.
A team from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) expected to supervise the enrolment did not show up.
Our correspondent saw workers of both institutions, especially non-academic staff in UNILAG, preparing documents required for the exercise.
The university management also made a timetable on how each faculty and directorate would do the exercise.
According to the timetable, the Faculty of Arts, the Library Section and the Distance Learning Institute were to enrol yesterday.
But the UNILAG chapter of ASUU directed its members to stay away from the exercise.
The union’s Chairman Dr. Dele Ashiru said ASUU would not be part of the exercise.
The Chairman of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) at UNILAG, Sowunmi Olusola, said the union’s members would be actively involved and that modalities had been worked out to fine-tune the irregularities in the government’s payroll system.
At FCET, Akoka, the Director of Information, Mrs Babalola, said the management was expecting the IPPIS team. She said: “We are to start today but we have not seen anybody.”
It was also gathered that workers of Yaba College of Technology had been enrolled some weeks ago.
At the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA), a circular by the Registrar, Malam Y. I. directed the workers to enrol in the payment system.
It reads: “Please, be informed that the Office of the Accountant-General is scheduled to commence the enrolment of staff of Federal universities and colleges of education in Nigeria into IPPIS on Monday, November 25, 2019, to Saturday, December 7, 2019.
“Staff members are required to provide letter of first employment, letter of last promotion, evidence of transfer of service, staff identity card, birth certificate/declaration of age, educational qualifications, copy of bank statement (six months), BVN printout, pension fund administrator print out and evidence of change of name.
“While details of the arrangement will be communicated to you when further information is received from the office of the Accountant-General, staff are enjoined to cooperate to ensure a seamless exercise.”
But, as directed by ASUU’s national body, its members at UNIABUJA boycotted the enrolment.
ASUU members at the Federal University Lafia (FUL), Nasarawa State, insisted they would not participate in the IPPIS enrolment.
Its Chairman Adam Al-Amin Abdullahi said there was no going back on the union’s position on the matter.
University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and its Enugu campuses did not start the IPPIS enrolment yesterday.
The situation was calm yesterday at the University of Ibadan (UI), University of Osun (UNIOSUN), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) and University of Ilorin (UNILORIN).
The Federal Government team from the OAGF on the IPPIS did not show up.
The Zonal Coordinator, ASUU Ibadan, Dr. Ade Adejumo, told The Nation that the union, in anticipation of the government plan, set up monitoring teams in all the campuses to ensure that members do not join the IPPIS plan.
At UI, ASUU set up a monitoring team to ensure that none of its members enlist on the new payroll.
Asked if there was a team from the OAGF to enlist members, Dr. Adejumo said: “We have not seen any Federal Government team on the enrolment of IPPIS and we have been monitoring our campuses. We have seen any of them.”
In a resolution read by the Secretary of the union, Professor Peter Olapegba, the congress resolved to stop work in the event of stoppage of salary of academic workers.
ASUU at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) said its members would not enrol into the new platform.
Its Chairman Prof. Dani Mamman said the decision against the IPPIS had not shifted.
He told The Nation on phone in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, that the union’s branch, through a congress meeting, resolved not to shift ground except the alternate IPPIS template submitted by ASUU to Senate President Ahmad Lawan was implemented.
“After heated debate and deliberations, we have resolved not join the IPPIS until all the peculiarities of our demands are captured,” he said.
At the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Awka, the Anambra State capital, ASUU rejected the new payroll system.
Its Chairman Stephen Ufoaru addressed reporters after its congress at the university auditorium.
“We as a union will not be part of the exercise. We’ve engaged the Federal Government in several fora on the issue. We’ve developed our own alternative platform, which we believe will address the peculiarities of the university workers,” he said.
The enrolment did not take place at the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Niger State.
The union insisted that its members would not come out for the exercise.
ASUU members at the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB) in Ogun State did not participate in the IPPIS scheme.
Its Chairman, Dr. Adebayo Oni, told The Nation that his members would not enrol into the platform.
“ASUU-UNAAB is not participating in IPPIS enrolment,” Oni said.
Federal Government officials for the IPPIS scheme were not seen on the campus.
ASUU Chairman at the Federal University Dutsinma (FUDMA), Yahaya Ahmed Mohammed, said the union may go on strike, if the Federal Government failed to accept the alternative template the union proposed to resolve the IPPIS matter.
He said: “The national leadership of the union is working hard to come up with an alternative template policy on the IPPIS regime and will soon make presentations to the Federal Government.”
There was no presence of AGF personnel on the campus yesterday.
Also, at the Federal College of Education (FCE), Katsina, the personnel to conduct the IPPIS enrolment from the OAGF did not show up. Spokesman for the college, Mr Segun Onalapo, told The Nation, on behalf of the Registrar, that the school was eagerly waiting to enrol into the scheme, though the officials to conduct it did not show up.
The school’s Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education (SSUCOE) Chairman Aminu Abdullahi Dutsinma said the union had resolved to enrol into the IPPIS.
ASUU members at the Bayero University Kano (BUK) have not embraced the new platform.
ASUU Chairman at the university, Dr. Ibrahim Barde, stressed that the chapter would not comply with government’s directive to enrol into the IPPIS.
He said: “Any lecturer that complied with such directive will be sanctioned appropriately. As such, BUK has not enrolled into it.” – The Nation
– Nov. 26, 2019 @ 9:25 GMT |
Tags: IPPIS enrolment: ASUU members shun payroll
