By Ikenna Nwokedi
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Owerri Zone has lamented that despite the directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that ASUU and other tertiary institutions in the land be removed from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the directive is yet to be adhered to by the authorities concerned.
The Union made their view known on Monday, 26th February 2024, during a Press Conference held at the ASUU Secretariat, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra State.
During the Press Briefing, the Union through the Zonal Coordinator of ASUU-Owerri Zone, Comrade Dennis Aribodor lamented that instead of removing ASUU from the IPPIS platform, the Union has been placed on another platform known as “New IPPIS” and informed that her members are currently receiving payment from the platform.
Aribodor also highlighted other salient points as part of the Union’s struggles bordering on Renegotiation of FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement; Withheld Salaries; Arrears of Earned Academic Allowances; Illegal Dissolution of Governing Councils; Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standard; Proliferation of Universities; Victimization and Threats at Federal University of Technology, Owerri; TETFund Intervention and
Under-funding of Public Universities by Federal and State Governments.
The Zonal Coordinator described the new IPPIS as a scam and corrupt platform foisted on her members which is totally rejected by the Union while calling on the federal government to ensure the directive to relevant authorities on removal of ASUU from the IPPIS platform is carried out with immediate effect. The Union leader also called on the FG to effect the release of promotion arrears of academic staff in various universities dating as far back as 2013.
Aribodor said, “You are aware that the President Tinubu administration has announced the exit of tertiary institutions from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) – a corrupt salary payment system imposed on Federal Universities by the Buhari administration. Our Union consistently rejected the payment platform because it grossly eroded the autonomy of our universities.
“However, our Union is worried that some elements inside and outside government may be planning to undermine the government directive in view of the ambiguity that currently surrounds that transition out of IPPIS to the so-called “new IPPIS” with which January salaries were paid a few days ago. Our position is that Government should revert to quarterly releases of university funds to the various universities to enable them design and implement their salary payment plans.
“In addition, Government should release the promotion arrears of academic staff in various universities dating as far back as 2013 and defray the outstanding salaries of all academics who were unjustly denied their salaries arising from the obnoxious imposition of IPPIS,” He said.
On the Renegotiation of FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement, Aribodor said, “The renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU Agreement of 2009 has dragged for seven years since 2017. The reluctance of the Federal Government to conclude the renegotiation is the reason why the Government committee has had three Chairmen from Wale Babalakin through Munzali Jibril to Nimi Briggs. This means that academic staff in our universities have been on the same salary structure for 15 years.
“We urge the Bola Tinubu administration to speedily put a final closure to the renegotiation by directing the upward review in view of current economic realities, and signing of the draft agreement reached with the Nimi Briggs committee. The most obvious implication of the truncation of the renegotiation of the Agreement is that university teachers in Nigeria have been on the same salary regime since 2009 when the value of the naira to the dollar was N120 as against N1800 today.
“The signing of the Nimi Briggs draft agreement will be a concrete step towards restoring the dignity of the academia and ensuring industrial harmony and peace on our campuses,” He disclosed.
Speaking on the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standard, the Zonal Coordinator inferred, “We note with serious concern the efforts by the National Universities Commission, currently, taking over the responsibilities of the senates of our universities with the imposition of the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standard (CCMAS) with effect from the 2022/2023 academic session.
“Consequently, we urge all our university Senates to resist the surreptitious moves by NUC to erode the powers of our senates over academic programmes in our respective universities. The NUC cannot and should not regulate itself.
He concluded by calling on the Federal and State Governments to attend to their demands urgently in order to guarantee industrial harmony in the nation’s university campuses while expressing hope that the Tinubu administration and Visitors to State Universities would urgently do the needful so as to reposition the universities to fulfil their mandates in nation building.
ASUU-Owerri Zone has five Universities under it comprising of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Igbariam (COOU), Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Imo State University Owerri (IMSU), Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU) and Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka (UNIZIK).
