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In a bid to find a lasting solution to the ongoing face-off between the Federal Government and its members over the implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday said arrangements are now in top gear to make an initial presentation of its University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) to the government.
The national president of the union, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, made the disclosure in a letter addressed to all ASUU Zonal Coordinators, chairpersons and members of the union.
The letter, a copy of which was made available to journalists in Ibadan by the ASUU Chairman, University of Ibadan chapter, Professor Ayo Akinwole, described IPPIS as a business venture of some interest groups in Nigeria, adding that “their profit margin increases by the increasing number of University staff they are able to capture.”
Ogunyemi admonished members of the union not to waiver in their resolve to reject the IPPIS, stating that the deliberate withholding and distortion of salaries by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation are ploys to hoodwink and arm-twist members to swallow their vomit on IPPIS.
He ssured members that once the issue of payment platform is sorted out, the union will then pursue to logical conclusion the main demands behind the ongoing strike.
The ASUU boss maintained that the union will be able to negotiate and secure what is good for Nigerian academics and the university system.
“As expected, the vested interests are uncomfortable with the emergence of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) because of its potential for exposing the IPPIS fraud. The impression earlier created was that no further payment of salaries could be made without data capture.
“However, the IPPIS office has forcefully migrated all academic staff in federal universities to the platform and what is being done now is to ‘formalise’ the process.
“Deliberate withholding and distortion of salary payment by the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) are ploys to hoodwink and arm-twist ASUU members to swallow their vomit on IPPIS. At this stage it is unedifying to see ASUU members filing to the Bursar’s Office of OAGF for IPPIS data capture.
“Apart from betraying the union, many of those who attempted to ‘go solo’ have also been ridiculed beyond description. Even non-members respect ASUU for its informed and principled position on IPPIS,” Ogunyemi said.
ASUU had declared an indefinite strike on March 9, to protest the stoppage of their salaries and the order for the enrolment of its members into the IPPIS.