The introduction of the Integrated Personnel Payment Information System (IPPIS) by the Nigerian Federal Government has still been met with some reluctance by university staff. With the deadline (October) up for all ministries, departments and agencies of government to enrol, the goverment has issued a warning. 

This policy, established by President Buhari's regine, directs all individuals who reciieve salaries from Consolidated Revenue Funds should join by the end of October 2019. This initiative is aimed at saving costs by ensuring transparency, accountability and probity with specific objectives..Ahmed Idris, Accountant-General of the Federation stated that the reluctance of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)  to enrol was an in a “open endorsement of corruption”.

 According to him: “It is a known practice all over the world that employees are entitled to their salaries and wages as at when due. That notwithstanding, there is nowhere employees dictate to their employers as to how he or she should be paid as being dictated by ASUU.”

ASUU President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi 

The President of the ASUU, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, affirms the unions reluctance to enroll stating to the Senate on Monday that “the IPPIS is a scam as it creates more problems than it solves.”

Ogunyemi also stated  ASUU members across different universaties had reservation about this imposition of this system, also adding that IPPIS would undermine universities’ autonomy and infringe on academic freedom.

“One of the biggest challenges of IPPIS is that it poses a great threat to our national security. The system is not strategic for a sovereign nation in a world system where almost all countries are vulnerable to sabotage by international cyber criminals and states.

“Once such sabotage happens, the entire country would be plunged into confusion and dysfunction. This has happened before and can happen again.

“It will constitute an impediment in the way of the ability of the universities to provide staff for new programmes as well as replace staff. This is because new staff members cannot be paid salaries until they are enrolled into the IPPIS database, which will take months to actualize.

“The IPPIS system only recognises staff members that are on permanent and pensionable appointments. Universities are universal in outlook in terms of recruitment of staff and student intake.

“The introduction of IPPIS is not backed by law. The Union’s position is that there are extant legal provisions and negotiated agreements arising from the nature and peculiarities of Nigerian universities, which make IPPIS unnecessary and inapplicable to the universities.’’.

“The objectives include centralisation of payroll systems of the Federal Government, facilitating easy storage, updating and retrieval of personnel records for administrative and pension processing.

Ogunyemi said “the proposed forceful enrolment of staff of universities in the IPPIS would amount to subjecting the universities to the direction and control of Office of Account General of the Federation ( OAGF) with respect to the payment of staff remuneration, salaries and wages.

“It should be noted that IPPIS is not a home-grown initiative; rather it is a prescription of the World Bank.

“Its ultimate consequence is to create anarchy and therefore, retard the growth and development of Nigeria’’.

He said that if the government wanted to curb corrupt practices through the payroll and personnel management, the best pathway was to make the Governing Councils work.

“The exercise of the power of the Visitor, in respect of the visitation exercise as explicitly stated in law which ASUU has continued to advocate, should be activated.

“Nigerian universities have capacity to develop their own platform in place of IPPIS with different levels of control which can be accessed periodically to assess compliance with the regulations on transparency and accountability by each university’’, he said.

In his remark, Lawal said:“we are all in this together and we believe that the Nigerian education sector especially the tertiary needs serious support.

“We know that you have made some sacrifices and that you have put in your best with the little given to you.

“The legislature is always prepared to take necessary steps to ensure that the tertiary institutions remain open and functional.

“I’m happy that you have made your point and I’m also happy that the federal Ministry of Finance is thinking of addressing the issues as well.

“I will like to know how they intend to do it. I’m meeting with the Minister of Finance to tell us what exactly is to be done because we do not want any strike’’.

Do you agree with the ASUU?