There is palpable tension in Nigerian
universities, with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, boycotting
the ongoing Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, seminar
in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Lecturers are bent on downing tools again, barely
a few months after calling off a protracted industrial action, if the
government insists on getting them to join the new payment platform.
The Federal Government had directed all its
Ministries, Departments and Parastatals, MDS, to join the computerised payment
platform to reduce corruption and human error in the payment of salaries.
As part of measures to bring universities into
the programme, the government distributed IPPIS forms to lecturers all over the
country through the National Universities Commission, NUC.
It also organised seminars in the six
geo-political zones of the country to sensitise management, union leaders and
other stakeholders in government-owned universities, on the new payment
platform. Continue...
The seminar for the South-South zone was said to
have kicked off on Monday in Port Harcourt, but members of the union would not
turn up for the programme.
A similar programme which is going on
simultaneously in other geo-political zones of the country is also said to have
been boycotted by members of the union.
A source from the University of Uyo, Uniuyo, told
PREMIUM TIMES that ASUU had barred its members from attending the Port Harcourt
seminar.
Already, the source said university teaching
hospitals that adopted the IPPIS are being owed salaries due to the
ineffectiveness of the new platform.
While some workers got jumbo salaries, he noted
that others got far below their entitlements, due to the unreliability of the
new payment platform.
He also noted that February salaries of the
teaching hospitals are yet to be paid because of the problem encountered the
previous month.
“The vice chancellor had intimated us about the
seminar but based on the directive from our union, we cannot honour the
invitation for the programme,” a union member in UNIUYO told PREMIUM TIMES. He
requested not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the matter.
“ASUU is not against the computerised salary
system but we are saying that the policy does not favour the peculiar nuances
of the academia.
“For instance, the IPPIS does not recognise the
peculiarity of the academic environment and cannot meet our payment needs. Our
members go on sabbatical, act as adjuncts and we engage in regular recruitment
of staff which are not addressed on the IPPIS platform.”
Having experienced the failure in the payment of
monetisation, the source hinted that the union would not allow its members to
be part of the new payment system.
PREMIUM TIMES had exclusively reported that the
University of Ibadan chapter of the union had early in January barred its
members from filling the IPPIS form.
The Secretary of the chapter, Deji Omole, said
the move would inject a new form of fraud into salary payment in the
universities.
In a statement, Mr. Omole stated, “Our attention
has been drawn to an NUC circular directing university staff to fill IPPIS
forms. This is to remind you that the union’s position on IPPIS has not
changed.
“Until NEC reviews its earlier decision, no ASUU
member is to fill the form. NEC is to discuss this issue in February and give
further directive. United we bargain, divided we beg.”
Also speaking on the matter, ASUU chairman,
University of Ibadan chapter, Olusegun Ajiboye, said the latest move by the NUC
was aimed at further creating problems for the university lecturers.
According to him, the integrated payment system
did not take into consideration the peculiarities of the work of academic staff
and negated the principle of autonomy which ASUU won since 1992.
He explained that academic staff were employed by
their respective university councils which managed the resources and took care
of the welfare of its staff; and not centrally by the NUC.
“IPPS negates the principle of university
autonomy that ASUU fought for. We are employed by our respective governing
councils and not centrally by NUC. For salaries to be paid from Abuja is
strange to the world university system apart from the dangers inherent in it.
IPPS does not take into consideration the peculiarities of our job,” Mr.
Ajoboye said.
“Now that we are even paid by our universities,
members who have problems with their salaries face difficulties before getting
it resolved let alone salaries being paid from Abuja. They are talking of ghost
workers when salaries have not been paid from Abuja but somebody in front of
the system in Abuja will manufacture fictitious names and pay themselves. It
will give room for fraud and make life difficult for our profession and
members. We say no to IPPS,” he added.
Attempts to speak with the National President of
ASUU, Nasir Faggie, on the issue failed as he would not take calls or respond
to a text message sent to his telephone.
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