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IPPIS: Averting  Avoidable Crisis in Varsities

IPPIS: Averting  Avoidable Crisis in Varsities

AS the conflict between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government over the implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System(IPPIS) for staff of public universities entered 2020 unresolved, students and parents may begin the year with yet another avoidable crisis in the educational sector.  While the federal government has insisted on implementing President Muhammadu Buhari’s October 8, directive that all government employees be enrolled into IPPIS to ensure accountability and curb corruption in the system, ASUU has refused to allow its members to comply.

CONSEQUENTLY, the union has urged its members to brace up for the challenges ahead.The ASUU National President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, in his Christmas message to members of the   union urged  them not to give up in fighting for qualitative and equitable education, saying the struggle continues in 2020. Thus, another crisis is in the offing if the issue is not quickly resolved.

ACCUSATIONS and counter accusations have been the weapon common to both parties in the dispute. While government is accusing ASUU of evading transparency and accountability in the system, the union is also accusing government of blackmail and using the IPPIS as a diversionary measure from the real issue of renegotiating  2009 agreement between the parties. The union has posed some tough questions to the Federal Government, asking why some federal agencies such as the Federal Inland Revenue Services, Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation are not captured on IPPIS. “There is massive corruption in IPPIS. Did government care to investigate IPPIS itself?” the union queried.

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ON its part, ASUU says it was not against a new pay system as it pledged its readiness to fully support any step that would eradicate corrupt practices from the university system. The bone of contention, according to the union, is that forcing a uniform pay system on all categories of government workers is unmindful of the peculiarity of the university system and takes away the autonomy of the university vested in the governing councils who are the direct employers of university staff. “Besides undermining the role of university governing councils, IPPIS automatically makes the Accountant-General of the Federation the governing council of all universities,” ASUU President, Biodun  Ogunyemi has said.

THE propriety or otherwise of the stance of either of the parties is an issue to consider.  The questions pundits continue to ask are: is the employer not at liberty to determine the mode of paying its workers? Should an employee dictates to his employer how he should be paid? The flip side of the questions is, do workers not have the right in negotiating the change in the mode of payment by their employers since they are not new staff?

HOWEVER, the union appeared to have shifted grounds a bit by suggesting an alternative platform in line with government’s new pay system. Its President said the  union had developed a prototype of the IPPIS, called University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), which it urged the government to implement rather than the IPPIS.He urged the government to implement UTAS and develop a system that would be resident in the universities.“UTAS will give government the opportunity to control and monitor activities and progress of the universities.The difference between what they are doing now and UTAS is that what they are doing now is just government information system for payment. With UTAS, all the personnel information and the payroll system will be uploaded and government will monitor”, the ASUU boss explained.

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IN the light of the above, THE HOPE calls on government and ASUU to,  quickly come to the table and resolve all contending issues as the students would be at the receiving end should the crisis lead to any, but needless, industrial action. Already, the House of Representatives recently mandated three of its committees to intervene in the conflict. We demand that the committees’ reports be looked into and followed up with actions geared towards brokering a truce between government and the union.

WE also call on stakeholders to join in the peace move and get the matter behind us as the nation cannot afford to allow our children and wards to be sent out of classes as a result of IPPIS crisis.

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IPPIS: Averting  Avoidable Crisis in Varsities

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