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We’ll expose fraud in IPPIS with UTAS, says ASUU

David Adenekan
David Adenekan
FG, ASUU suit: Court affirms CONUA, NAMDA as trade unions
ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has assured of its readiness to make initial presentation of its University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, to the Federal Government to counter the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, put in place by the Federal Government.

The president of the union, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, made this disclosure in a letter addressed to zonal coordinators, chairpersons and members of the union, which was made available to journalists in Ibadan, by the Chairman, ASUU, University of Ibadan chapter, Prof. Ayo Akinwole.

Ogunyemi described the 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.”

He admonished members of the union not to waiver in their resolve to reject it.

He maintained that the deliberate withholding and distortion of salaries by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation were ploys to hoodwink and arm-twist members to swallow their vomit on IPPIS.

ASUU had been on strike for some months to get unfulfilled agreements signed with the Federal Government implemented and negotiate befitting conditions of service for its members including salaries while opposing the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

However despite the opposition by the union, the Federal Government forcefully migrated members of the union in federal varsities.

Ogunyemi assured members that once the issue of payment platform was sorted out, the union would then pursue to logical conclusion the main demands behind the ongoing strike, stating that as a collective, the union would be able to “negotiate and secure what is good for Nigerian academics and our university system.”

He said, “As expected, the vested interests are uncomfortable with the emergence of the university transparency (UTAS) because of its potential for exposing the IIPIS 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 filling 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 the ASUU for its informed and principled position on IPPIS.”

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