The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is set to lock horns with the Federal Government over the imposition of the Integrated Personnel Payroll System (IPPIS) on its members.
President Muhammadu Buhari had last week directed that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), including Universities whose personnel cost was derived from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) should enroll in the IPPIS, with the Accountant-General of the Federation, (AGF), Alhaji Ahmed Idris, assuring all that the development would not in any way compromise the autonomy of Universities, stating that the unions would gain more as the system was being run transparently.
Now, ASUU leaders have called an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting where it was mutually agreed that members would be mobilized to act against the government as the President had reportedly ordered that those not on the IPPIS would not be paid salaries.
Professor Deji Omole, Chairman of the University of Ibadan (UI) chapter of the union, yesterday said that while ASUU welcomed the notion of accountability, it would not welcome any attempt by the government to violate existing laws and the autonomy of the Universities.
Forceful imposition of IPPIS on university workers is a violation of the university autonomy act. It is, therefore, illegal. While ASUU is not against accountability on the part of the university administrators, government should not be allowed to destroy public universities in its purported claims of fighting corruption.
Our members should remain focused and committed in our struggles to protect public university education by resisting forceful imposition of IPPIS on university workers.Deji Omole – pmnewsnigeria.com
