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IPPIS: ASUU Strike Looms In Jan
A nationwide strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is imminent in January with the failure of the Federal Government and the union to settle their disagreement on the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
The Tide’s source yesterday gathered that the two sides had not resolved their differences over the payroll system.
While ASUU said it was still waiting for the National Assembly’s invitation as part of efforts to resolve the disagreement, a top officer of the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning said the regime’s decision on the IPPIS remained the same.
Following a directive by the President Muhammadu Buhari, at the 2020 budget presentation at the National Assembly on October 8, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation deployed the IPPIS officers to universities between October 25 and November 7.
The AGF office said that based on Buhari’s directive that all federal employees must enroll for the IPPIS, universities workers must make themselves available for the enrolment during the period.
But ASUU faulted the payroll system, saying it negated the principle of universities’ autonomy. It also directed its members to shun the registration for the IPPIS.
But the top officer, who said the position of the regime on the IPPIS had not changed, stated that those who failed to register for the payroll system would not receive their December salaries.
He said: “The government has been very clear that everyone must be on the IPPIS to be able to get salaries. So if you are not enrolled, how do you get paid?”
He, however, said the Presidency would take the final decision on the fate of those that had not been enrolled for the IPPIS.
The officer said about 90,000 workers in about 43 universities had registered for the IPPIS, adding that 8,000 out of the 90,000 universities’ workers were lecturers.
“The IPPIS officials have done the enrollment across the universities based on the window given for the exercise to be conducted and they are back to the office.
“So, we are reviewing the data and whatever action that is going to be taken will be from there. But what I can tell you is that we have over 90,000 university workers on the IPPIS.
“So, if we have over 90,000 that enrolled, it shows that it is good enough. And out of this figure, we have quite a number of academic staff. We have over 8,000 from academic staff that have enrolled.
“So, definitely, we had a very good outing because over 90,000 were enrolled during the period and people are still calling to be enrolled.
“If they want to enroll, they should come here (Abuja) and we will enroll them. If you give people opportunity to enroll and they wasted it, we can’t go to their houses to enroll them.
“The IPPIS is a presidential directive and for now, it is the Presidency that will determine what will be their (ASUU’s) fate”, he said.
When asked what it would do if the Federal Government failed to pay the December salaries of lecturers that failed to register, the President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, said the union still stood by the decision of its National Executive Committee meeting in Minna, Niger State.
After meeting in Minna on Wednesday last week, ASUU had threatened that its members would go on strike if the Federal Government stopped their salaries.
Ogunyemi had said, “As resolved at the ASUU-NEC meeting at FUT Minna, should the Accountant-General make bold his threat of stopping the salaries of our members, the union shall activate its standing resolution of ‘No Pay, No Work’.
“NEC did not only reiterate its unequivocal rejection of IPPIS as an ill-wind that will blow the Nigerian University system no good, it also resolved that no amount of blackmail, intimidation and outright misinformation of the Nigerian public will make ASUU lose focus on its historic role as the conscience of the university system.”
ASUU had earlier said it was waiting for an invitation from the National Assembly, especially the Senate, so that it could demonstrate the alternative model it developed to the IPPIS.
The ASUU said the alternative model, University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), was ready and its team of experts would display it to the government once the National Assembly invited the union.
Ogunyemi, who said this in an interview with one of The Tide’s source in Abuja, stated that the UTAS was ready but the union needed the support of the government which would in turn give a directive to the authorities of universities.
He said, “Well, we are expecting to hear from the National Assembly but we have not heard from them. The last time we met them, we told them about that proposal and we said that our team had started working on it. So, we went back to meet representatives of the National Assembly after that and we told them that we were 33 per cent ready as of that time. But we have gone beyond that.
“Now we are moving towards a stage where we will need the consent of the universities and that is why what we have been saying is that the government should agree with us that we would go further with that alternative.”
The President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, had at the meeting with ASUU on October 28 appealed to the union not to go on strike over the IPPIS, but the union had told Lawan that it was developing an alternative model to the IPPIS.
The union, after the NEC meeting on Wednesday last week, had said the UTAS was designed by a team of crack software engineers, who are based in the Nigerian universities.
The union argued that unlike IPPIS, UTAS would address the uniqueness of the university system, particularly the flexibility of the payroll and personnel management.
The IPPIS platform is an integral part of the Federal Government’s public finance reform initiative aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of government payroll.
Meanwhile, the Senate has kept mum on the claims by ASUU that the Red Chamber had not invited its leadership for another meeting after their first engagement some weeks ago.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has described the late Chief Albert Korubo Horsfall as a distinguished statesman whose contributions to national development brought honour and distinction to the Kalabari Kingdom and Rivers State.
Fubara said Horsfall’s life of service, patriotism, integrity and commitment to humanity had left an enduring legacy that would continue to inspire generations.
The governor spoke through the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr Dagogo Wokoma, at the funeral service of the late elder statesman last Saturday in Buguma, Asari-Toru Local Government Area of the State.
He described Horsfall as a patriotic Nigerian whose leadership and dedication to the country’s development earned him a place in the nation’s history.
“Chief Horsfall was a distinguished statesman whose life was defined by service, patriotism, integrity and commitment to humanity.
“His contributions to our nation, particularly through his service as Director-General of the State Security Service, pioneer Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency and Chairman of OMPADEC, remain significant milestones in our national history,” Fubara said.
The governor noted that the late Horsfall’s contributions to national security, intelligence administration and the development of the Niger Delta would remain part of his enduring legacy.
“His legacy of leadership, national service and dedication to development will remain an enduring source of inspiration to generations yet unborn,” he added.
Fubara urged the bereaved family, the Kalabari people and other Nigerians to uphold the values of peace, unity and selfless service exemplified by the late elder statesman.
The funeral service attracted several dignitaries, including the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), a representative of the Bayelsa State Governor, the Managing Director of NDDC, Chairman of PENDEF and the Regent of the Kalabari Kingdom.
Also in attendance were the Rivers State Commissioner for Education, the Commissioner for Special Projects and other government officials, traditional rulers and stakeholders.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to partner with local government councils that prioritize the welfare and development of people at the grassroots.
Fubara stated this last Thursday in Nkoro Town during the commissioning of the newly built Sir Siminalayi Fubara Corps Members’ Lodge, executed by Hon. James A. James, the Chairman of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Sunny Ewule, the governor said the project goes beyond a building to represent hope, hospitality and responsible leadership.
According to him, providing decent and safe accommodation for Nationl Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who leave their comfort zones to serve in communities is the least government can do.
“Today we are not just commissioning a building, we are commissioning hope, hospitality and responsible leadership. The Chairman of Opobo/ Nkoro LGA, Hon. James A. James has understood a very simple truth that those who come to serve us must serve with dignity,.
“Our young graduates who serves under the NYSC scheme leave the comfort of their homes and travel far to contribute to our communities, they teach our children, they work in our health centres, and they become parts of our families.
“The least we can do is give them a decent, safe and befitting place to lay their heads. What Hon. James A. James has done today is in total alignment with the vision of this administration, an administration that believes in people, that prioritises welfare and that believes development must be felt in every local government and not just in Port Harcourt” he said.
Fubara further urged the beneficiaries of the corpers lodge to make good use of the facilities of the newly built edifice and be good ambassadors of Nigeria, respect the culture and traditions of the host community while continue to serve with dedication and patriotism.
“This Corpers lodge will enhance the security and welfare of serving corps members, boost their morale and make Opobo/Nkoro and even more attractive place for posting, it is a strategic investment in human capital and in peace building,” he said.
He commended the Opobo/Nkoro Council Chairman for aligning with his administration’s vision of ensuring development is felt in all 23 local government areas of the State, and not just in Port Harcourt, adding that the lodge is a strategic investment in human capital, security and peace building.
In his goodwill message, the Rivers State NYSC Coordinator, Mr. Moses Oleghe, said the accommodation was 85 percent of Corps members’ challenges.
Oleghe thanked Governor Fubara for the recent increase in the State allowances for Corps members to N35,000 for those in 21 rural areas and N20,000 for those in Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City LGAs, describing the gesture as a moral booster for the corps members.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, has secured an offer of specialised training for up to 5,000 Nigerian police personnel under a proposed security cooperation involving Nigeria, the United States and Italy.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, disclosed this in a statement issued at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, at the weekend.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening the operational capacity of the Nigeria Police Force to tackle insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping, arms trafficking and other emerging security threats across the country.
According to the statement, the proposed training programme will focus on counter-insurgency operations, intelligence-led patrols and tactical operations, particularly in difficult rural and forested environments.
Other areas of training include critical infrastructure protection, digital and scientific forensics, cybercrime investigations, explosives detection, financial investigations, asset tracing and anti-extortion operations.
The programme is expected to extend beyond the Police Mobile Force to other specialised units, including explosive ordnance disposal and forensic teams.
As part of the engagement, Disu met with the Commander-General of the Italian Carabinieri, Lieutenant-General Salvatore Luongo, to explore areas of technical assistance, professional training and institutional cooperation.
The police chief and his delegation also visited the Carabinieri Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units in Vicenza, Italy, where they assessed training facilities and explored opportunities to adapt specialised policing programmes to Nigeria’s security needs.
Proposals discussed during the visit included command courses for 40 senior police officers, leadership training for 100 junior commanders and the deployment of a mobile assistance team to support Police Mobile Force training schools in Gwoza, Borno State, and Ila-Orangun, Osun State.
The discussions also covered the development of a national stability policing doctrine and standard operating procedures to improve professionalism, operational coordination and civilian protection, particularly in communities recovering from conflict.
Other areas of proposed cooperation include canine operations, forensic science and mounted policing, including horse breeding and local capacity development for effective public order management.
To formalise the proposed partnership, the IGP has initiated moves towards a Memorandum of Understanding covering specialised training, technology transfer and operational procedures.
He also invited an Italian Carabinieri assessment team to Abuja to identify priority needs and develop implementation arrangements.
Disu reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to international partnerships that will strengthen operational readiness, improve investigative capacity and enhance the protection of lives and property.
The statement did not, however, indicate when the proposed training programme would commence or provide a definite implementation timetable.
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