In an interview, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, National President of ASUU, expressed dissatisfaction over the Federal Government’s failure to fulfill its commitment to remove tertiary institutions from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System platform.
He further stated that the February salary was paid through IPPIS. The Academic Staff Union of Universities has stated that the Federal Government continues to pay lecturers’ salaries through the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System.
A government effort called the IPPIS was announced in 2006 with the goal of streamlining payroll for government departments, agencies, and ministries.
Later, it was expanded to include colleges and institutions, but the workers fiercely opposed it, going on a lengthy strike in 2020 and 2021.
The Federal Government (FG) declared in December 2023 that colleges of education, universities, and polytechnics were free from the platform.
The government announced in September 2023 that the remuneration of employees at tertiary institutions would be reviewed higher by 35%, with effect from January 2023.
Additionally, it committed to paying four months’ salary out of the seven and a half months that payments were withheld during the nationwide strike in 2022.
Strikes at government-owned colleges have occasionally resulted from ASUU demands, such as the payment of Earned Academic Allowance and the unprogressive renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.
He insisted there had been no formal word from FG and added that things were at a halt.
“Our member will decide, that is why we have been going on strike, even for salary review, yet nothing has been done,” Osodeke said when asked if ASUU would go on strike to press its demands.
“IPPIS was used to pay our salary for February, so no action or implementation has taken place. The government ought to take the appropriate action and carry out all of our agreement. ASUU would shortly issue a press statement announcing its choice,” he said.