The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised alarm over the Federal Government’s persistence in using the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to disburse lecturers’ salaries.
In an interview, ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, lamented the government’s failure to fulfill its promise of removing tertiary institutions from the IPPIS platform, noting that salaries for February were still paid through IPPIS.
Despite the FG’s announcement in December 2023 exempting tertiary institutions, including universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, from IPPIS, Osodeke highlighted the continued utilisation of the system, which was initially introduced in 2006 to streamline payroll for government entities.
Osodeke emphasised that ASUU’s demands remained unmet, despite the government’s pledge in September 2023 to increase the salaries of tertiary institution workers by 35% and address outstanding salary issues from the 2022 national strike period.
Key demands such as payment of Earned Academic Allowance and renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement remained unresolved, leading to concerns among union members.
Osodeke hinted at potential actions, indicating that ASUU would soon communicate its decision through a press release. He underscored the urgency for the government to implement agreements reached with the union, urging prompt action to address lingering issues.