ASUU Proposes UTAS in Place of IPPIS, as FG Says ASUU Strikes Caused by Past Govt’s Infidelity
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has insisted on the adoption of a payment system it called the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) in place of federal government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
ASUU also argued that the IPPIS, which is made compulsory to university workers, including ASUU members is against the law that granted autonomy to universities.
ASUU coordinator for the Calabar zone, Comrade Aniekan Brown, told journalist in Calabar on Monday that the union has considered “IPPIS which is a payment system offer by the federal government as uncongenial with the modus operandi of the university system, given the peculiarities of universities. Government has made it a front burner; but we consider it a distraction.”
The Calabar zone of ASUU is said to cover seven universities within four states of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Ebonyi.
The coordinator further said “Kindly note that our union has been rejecting the IPPIS since 2013; Government challenged us to produce an alternative to IPPIS. The union took up the challenge, and has produced one. This is called the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS. Presentations have been made to the appreciation of some quarters.”
“The union has been ready for the final stage presentation to NITDA. Sadly, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGoF) is of the position that our members migrate first (during the intervening period) after which if UTAS is approved, we would be re-migrated to UTAS. We argue that it is a case of economic waste.”
This is coming at the time education minister, Adamu Adamu, said previous administrations should be blamed for the continuous strike by ASUU, arguing that government shouldn’t have entered into an agreement with ASUU to pay them N1.3trilion when it knew it couldn’t fulfill the obligation.
While answering questions at a Town Hall meeting on security issues tagged ‘Engaging the Youth and Communities’ at the multi-purpose indoor sports hall complex Bauchi on Monday, Adamu said the problem that had resulted in incessant strikes by the ASUU was that “a government in this country went and sat down with ASUU and agreed on some conditions that it would pay universities N1.3 trillion.
“I do believe that while they were signing that agreement, they knew that it is not possible for them to implement it. There is just nowhere N1.3trillion will come out from.
“I think the basic problem between the ASUU side and the government side has been deciding on what to do about this N1.3 trillion. If a government appends its signature to an agreement, it is an agreement,” he said.
He also said “We are not happy that our campuses are closed, we are not happy that the calendar of schools has been disrupted. But the fault is the government that signed to do what it knew it could not do
“But I assure you that we are on the verge of reaching an agreement and very, very soon, we will reach an agreement with them.”
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