The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the Federal Government to abolish the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), stating that it is not in alignment with the operations of the university system and should be discarded for the overall interest of tertiary education in the country.
Speaking in Calabar, the Cross River State Capital, the Coordinator of ASUU-Calabar Zone, Aniekan Brown, said ASUU is committed to resistance for the life and preservation of the quality of public university education in Nigeria.
He stressed that though ASUU’s struggles are misunderstood, there is no going back on the outstanding issues in 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement.
Brown called on Nigerians and the general public to support ASUU’s stance on IPPIS and other outstanding issues on the FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement as it is the only way to end its incessant strikes.
ASUU, which is currently on strike, is seeking improved welfare, revitalisation of public universities and academic autonomy among other demands.
One bone of contention for the academics is the non-payment of university revitalisation funds, which amounts to about N1.1 trillion.
But the Federal Government has said it doesn’t have the money to pay such an amount, citing low oil prices during the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
The agreement was reportedly struck in 2009.
Another is the issue of IPPIS.
The academics have proposed an alternative payroll system, the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
