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IPPIS: Buhari govt becoming dictatorial-ASUU

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IPPIS: Buhari’s govt becoming dictatorial, says ASUU

 BY Gambo Jagindi

NOVEMBER 21, 2019

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the federal government of “forcefully” implementing its Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) rather than engaging lecturers in a dialogue.

President Muhammadu Buhari had issued a directive over IPPIS to manage the payment of the salaries of all federal government workers while mandating that anyone not registered on the platform will not be paid.

ASUU had reiterated its rejection of the new system, accused the federal government of designing the platform to suppress the masses in the guise of fighting corruption and threatened a nationwide strike if it is forced on its members.

The union had also stated it would only enroll on IPPIS if the national assembly amends actsestablishing federal universities in the country and later suspended the proposed strikepending further meetings with delegates of the federal government.

On Thursday, Deji Omole, University of Ibadan’s ASUU chairman, decried the government’s outright refusal to negotiate with the union and discuss the grey areas of the IPPIS policy that is “breaking laws allowing for university autonomy.”

“The government’s pronouncement to forcefully enroll university workers is an act of violence against the university system.  It is worrisome for a government under a democratic dispensation to resort to force rather than dialogue. If not, why is the government afraid of negotiations?” he said.

“We are not perturbed by the directive. A government claiming to be fighting corruption should not break the law. The university Autonomy Act is very clear on university administrators.  There is no greater corruption than those breaking the law of the land.

See also  Ex-FUNAAB DVC, Prof Lateef assumes duty as NSPRI ED/CEO BY SEGUN OLATUNJI April 24, 2023 Federal Government has appointed former Deputy Vice Chancellor (Development), Federal University of Agriculture (FUNAAB), Prof Sanni Oladimeji Lateef, as the new Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI). Consequently, Prof Lateef will on Tuesday assume duty at the Ilorin, Kwara State, headquarters of NSPRI. He obtained his First Degree from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Nigeria in 1990. He finished from the institution's Department of Food Science and Technology with a Second Class Upper Division. He proceeded to the Department of Food Technology, University of Ibadan, where he obtained Master and PhD Degrees in 1993 and 1999, respectively. He returned to his Alma mata, FUNAAB in 1993, where he was employed as an Assistant Lecturer. He was promoted Professor of Food Science and Technology in 2008. In 2015, Prof Lateef presented his Inaugural Lecture and in 2017, he became Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development). Prof Lateef won the 2008 Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Award Regional Technology Development in Sub Saharan Africa. This multiple international award-winner has over 27 years' experience in research, consultancy and collaborations as a post-harvest expert in tropical root crops mostly implemented by the International Institute of Tropical Root Crop and Natural Resources Institute, United Kingdom. Prof Lateef is also a project leader to multi-million dollar EU/Gates Foundation sponsored projects since 2008 to date. He was a resource person for the World Bank upscaling of flash drying experience in West Africa. He also served as the Principal Investigator, Food Developers Initiative and Food Science and Nutrition Network sponsored by the Association of African Universities in Nigeria, Benin and Sierra Leone and Food Science and Nutrition Network in West Africa, March 2010 to August 2011 under the sponsorship of African Universities/UK DFID. The new NSPRI boss is also the Vice Chair, Steering Committee of the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development, and former National President, Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology. Prof Lateef is a Fellow of the Nigeria Academy of Science (FAS) and President of the national body of the FUNAAB Alumni Association.

“Breaking of existing laws with impunity is the greatest corruption anywhere in the world. We refused to be harassed or intimidated. We are not strangers in this country. We are veritable stakeholders.  We have told them what to do.

“Let the government come back to the negotiation table and let’s discuss the grey areas. Forceful enlistment will not solve the problem. We are not disturbed but we are worried. The government is getting dictatorial. A supposedly democratic government is getting dictatorial.”

The federal government recently announced that lecturers will begin enrolment on the IPPIS from next week.

According to Ahmed Idris, accountant general of the federation (AGF), university teachers will be captured on the payroll between November 25 and December 7.

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