Olabisi Deji-Folutile
There are fresh indications that the feud between the Federal Government and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities is far from being over as the government had gone ahead to use the controversial Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to pay the withheld February and March salaries of university lecturers last week Friday.
The lecturers were paid last Friday following the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari that the withheld salaries of the striking lecturers be paid immediately. The union members were earlier asked to provide their Bank Verification Number (BVN) as a precondition for the payment. The lecturers however refused to comply with government’s directive.
As of Friday, many lecturers confirmed to Franktalknow.com that they had received alerts for February and March salaries. However, they disclosed that the salaries were paid through the contested IPPIS.
According to the lecturers, government unilaterally migrated lecturers to the platform without the biometrics characteristic of IPPIS. This, they said, had further fuelled the union’s suspicion, that the managers of the platform could fraudulently put ghost workers on it without the necessary registration requirements.
“Our struggle has just started. The money paid us is the fuel we need for the struggle. All the complaints raised by the Union on the peculiarities of academic staff were left unattended to. It is well,” the lecturers stated.
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One of the chairpersons of ASUU, Umar Kasim, in a WhatsApp chat with members of the union said that it was evident that agents of government, in carrying out the directive of the President, had paid union members through the IPPIS, a platform that ASUU had vehemently rejected.
He said what the government agents had done was to refuel the members and their vehicle for the greater journey ahead.
“First, ASUU now has sufficient grounds to call for and insist on a forensic audit of the entire IPPIS platform, to fish out ghost enrollees and expose the policy as the grand scam of the century.
“The forceful enrolment of you and I on the IPPIS even when none of us ever gave any of our vital information, especially our biometrics, means that these same agents would have enrolled several thousands of non working persons on the platform.
“Two, government asked ASUU to commit resources to developing UTAS to serve as IPPIS replacement in the University system. The Union is irrevocably committed to developing UTAS. In fact, in not more than a month, ASUU shall deliver on its UTAS promise. Therefore, government must live up to its words. They must accept UTAS.
“My advice to comrades is to weary not, nor falter till the battle is won. Now that the presidential directive has been implemented and salaries have been paid through IPPIS, we should conserve funds; we should cut down on expenditure and remain steadfast in the battle. The battle may still be long. The deep cut in your salaries should serve as impetus to propel you to victory. It could be rough, but victory is certain. Aluta continua! ”
Also, Chairman of ASUU, University of Lagos branch, Dele Ashiru, said members of the union should await further directives from the national leadership, adding that they should remain resolute and steadfast.
He said, “Available reports indicate that a vast majority of our members have received payment alerts for our unlawfully withheld salaries for the months of February and March. That the payment was made on the much rejected IPPIS platform confirms our age- long conviction that IPPIS is a grand fraud as it can be manipulated by those vehemently agitating for the forceful implementation of the scheme.
“While we commend our members for their sacrifices and unwavering commitment to the principled struggle of our union, it is important to draw the attention of our members to the need to be very prudent and conserve funds as the struggle is far from being over on account of the payment of salaries. This is because our struggle goes beyond the question of salary payment/ on IPPIS.
“Our members are advised to remain resolute and steadfast as we await further directives from the National Leadership. The struggle continues…A People United Can Never be Defeated. Solidarity forever.”
In the same vein, the Chairperson, ASUU-FUTA, Olayinka Oladele Awopetu, wondered how government could pay lecturers that were not registered on IPPIS through the platform. He said this was evidence that the system was vulnerable and susceptible to manipulation. “The struggle is just starting, let’s prepare for a long battle; this may be the longest struggle in the history of this union,” he noted.
He said, “It is no longer news that our members have started receiving alerts for some payments through IPPIS despite not registering with or on the fraudulent platform. Many members had called to seek clarifications.
“Please, allow me to offer the much information at my disposal as of now: Payment is for February and March, 2020; Payment made with consequential adjustment on the new minimum wage; Minimum wage arrears not included; Some deductions made – National Housing Fund (this was never registered for), Pension, Tax (actual, being much more than the usual agreed earlier being paid), – Union dues (not remitted to ASUU).*COOPERATIVE DEDUCTIONS NOT MADE* (you have to go to all cooperatives you belong to, to pay your deductions).
“In case you received more than one alert, of same amount, you are to please, report at the Secretariat from Monday, 11th May, 2020; Explanations above are based on the information received when members on sabbatical were paid some time ago; and ) Our Union will keep you posted on whatever steps to be taken next. This information has been passed to the President of the Union who is collating from other Branches now!”
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