Majority of Universities’ staff are on IPPIS scheme – BMO tells ASUU
The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has called on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to reconsider their decision to initiate an industrial action following Federal Government’s threat of stopping salaries of university staff who fail to enroll into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
In a statement signed by BMO’s Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO reminded ASUU that majority of universities’ staff have signed on to IPPIS scheme and would have been acting against the will of the majority of its members.
Part of the statement reads: “We want ASUU to acknowledge that majority of universities’ staff have signed on to IPPIS scheme and we believe that this should serve as an encouragement to others who are yet to sign on. And if ASUU decides to go ahead with its proposed strike action, it would have been acting against the will of the majority of its members who have enrolled in the IPPIS. “We urge ASUU not to allow itself to be seen as saboteurs of a scheme that has the capacity to weed out ghost workers and improve the efficiency of payroll administration in public universities. ASUU’s plan for a showdown over IPPIS can easily be interpreted as corruption fighting back.
“ASUU must avoid a situation where it would be seen as a union that is averse to accountability in the university system, especially as the country stands a chance of saving more money once workers in public universities are captured in the cost saving scheme.”
The statement also stated: “This is a scheme that has, since 2017, saved the country over N230 billion that could have gone into private pockets through the fictitious payment of salaries and pensions, according to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF). “So, can one say that ASUU is threatening a showdown in order to blackmail the government to sustain a corruption-riddled system that has over the years cost the country several billions of naira?”