IPPIS: ASUU says no going back on position, insists platform not designed for the university system

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has insisted that there is no going back on its position on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System of the Federal Government.

ASUU President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, stressed that it was wrong to use the payment platform for university lecturers.

He blamed this for the alleged irregularities in the payment of salaries and allowances of lecturers, stressing that some academics received very poor remuneration in some cases.

“The issue of what we call amputated salary came into it because the IPPIS platform was not designed for the university system.

“So, the platform does not recognise negotiated agreements like we are talking about allowance – unacademic allowances, research journal, and other things,” the don said on Thursday during his appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

He added, “In fact, there were professors that were paid like N8,000 in some months on our campuses. So, we don’t expect anything otherwise because that platform was not meant for the university system.”

The ASUU president stated that the IPPIS cannot work for the university system, especially in the area of taxation.

According to him, the government gave the lectures a one-line salary scale which means taxed are being deducted from allowances and that is not the case with those in the civil service.

Professor Ogunyemi argued that the programme was designed for the civil service, adding that lecturers were losing as much as 50 to 70 percent of their salaries.

Asked whether the lecturers are willing to return to classes despite the failure of ASUU and the government to reach a decisive conclusion, he said, “I believe our students and their parents would understand.”

“If we have lecturers that have not been paid for eight, nine months, how can we have that person putting in his or her best in a system?

“If people are going back to the universities and they will be paid less of their usual salary, how can we cope with that?” the ASUU president questioned.