Why we ‘re against IPPIS – ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has restated the resolve of its members  not to enrol in the federal government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) .

Speaking with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital on Tuesday, the vice chairman of ASUU in the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) Dr Habibat Adubiaro said the decision of the lecturers was not to promote corruption in the education sector.

Dr Adubiaro maintained that the centralised payroll system of the federal government invalidates university autonomy, and that the lecturers were only responsible to the governing councils of the respective institutions

According to her, ” We are not condoning any corruption at all because we are an autonomous body. The federal government is not paying us directly, the Federal government does not employ us directly. We are getting our directive from the governing council, the governing council is the highest decision making body in the university.

“I know the federal government appointed the governing council but they did not give us appointment letters, it is through the governing council.”

President  Muhammmadu Buhari had, during the 2020 budget presentation at the National Assembly on October 8, ordered the stoppage of payment of salaries of civil servants, who failed to register for the IPPIS by the end of October 2019.

According to the President, the directive was part of efforts to manage personnel cost to fight corruption and save billions of naira.

Also the Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, had faulted the decision of the lecturers saying the union’s position was an open endorsement of corruption. 

However, the academic body insisted that their action was meant to protect the University autonomy.

Adubiaro said, “It is this same federal government that gives universities autonomy and that cannot be reversed since agreement has been made. We are not in any way supporting corruption.

“Even the Senate President said during his meeting with the leadership of ASUU that since the federal government signed the agreement,it is binded on them. There is  no going back on it.”

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