The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, has said that the controversial Integrated Payroll Process System (IPPIS) introduced by the Federal Government is a mere distraction and not part of the reasons for the lingering strike by university lecturers.
Speaking on Channels TV’s Politics Today, he said the strike would have been called off but for the way the government has handled the negotiations.
“We started this strike in March as a result of the government’s inability to take the necessary steps.
“We had a National Executive Council meeting last year, where we gave the government two weeks to address five outstanding issues.
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“These issues are the revitalisation of universities as agreed with us in 2019; renegotiation of our agreements that dates back to 2009; reconstitution of the negotiating team so that we could quickly conclude our negotiation of that agreement; the issue of earned academic allowances to our members, which they promised to pay two tranches November, 2019 and July 2020.
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“The issue of visitation panels to federal universities, which they agreed with us that will be done between April and May 2019. And finally the issue of proliferation of universities, particularly by state governments .
According to him, the government was still “dribbling” the union when the strike began earlier this year.
He said the IPPIS was first introduced in 2013 and was repelled by his predecessor.
According to him, the union disagreed with the IPPIS because it was meant for the civil service.
“So we said, well, let’s constitute a joint team to think of alternatives or to work out an alternative and we were prepared.
“So we submitted the names of our members, our representatives and we’re expecting them to get back to us since 2014.
“It was just 2019 the government came back to see where it is.”
According to him, there are three scenarios currently playing out in federal universities.
“We have those who have not been paid salaries since February till date. We have lecturers that have been paid up to June 2020, then the third category is where lecturers have not been paid since July.”
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He alleged that the Federal Government selectively paid some lecturers who are yet to be enrolled under the controversial system.
The ASUU president said the union expects the parents and students to be understanding.
“I believe our students and their parents will understand. If we have lecturers that are not being paid for eight to nine months, how can we put in our best?”
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