The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Tuesday warned of impending closure of universities in the country urging the federal government to take the right measures to save the situation.
The union made the call after its members at the University of Ilorin in Kwara state staged a peaceful rally round the institution’s campus.
The ASUU chairman in the university, Dr Alex Akanmu, urged “well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the government to do the needful now. This rescue mission of not allowing our institutions to be shut down is a collective task.
“Since the introduction of IPPIS in 2007, our union has vehemently opposed the platform because of the danger to the realisation of university autonomy, its antithesis to global practices and the fraud associated with the deployment.
“The allegations of bribery, delay in capturing staff on payroll and corruption are till date major features of the IPPIS. Our union, with different positions to the imposition of IPPIS, challenged and at no cost, developed and proposed University Transparent and Accountability Solution (UTAS) considered as suitable for the universities, but the government, guided by IMF interest opposed the acceptance and deployment of this solution.
“The same government, in July 2023 through the senate, realising the havoc and level of fraud by IPPIS launched a probe with no outcome till now. In December 2023, the government through the Federal Executive Council (FEC) directed the removal of universities and other tertiary institutions from the IPPIS platform but this directive is yet to be obeyed even by the government.
“Our salaries are still been paid under the newly branded “New IPPIS”. The mutilation of our salaries and surprises brought by the discrepancies in payment is still alarming on monthly basis.
“We demand for immediate implementation of the directive on exiting the universities and other tertiary institutions from IPPIS and release of third-party deductions for cooperative societies, pension contributions and appropriate check-off dues,” Akanmu said.
On salaries, Akanmu stated that: “It is unfortunate that as we speak, government is yet to pay the outstanding balance of the three and half months of our withheld salaries.
