Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Benue State University chapter, Makurdi on Tuesday embarked on peaceful protest within the campus calling on federal government to fulfill its part of renegotiation agreements.
The members displayed placards with various inscriptions such as, ‘We say no IPPIS, adopt UTAS, ‘Pay our members withheld salary, Our salary can not take us home, among others.
Addressing journalists after the protests, the ASUU Secretary, BSU chapter, Terrumun Gajir called on federal government to fulfill all the renegotiation agreements to the union and avert looming strike.
Gajir noted that since federal government’s directive to remove ASUU members from the Integrated Personal Payment Information System (IPPIS), government still adopts the payment system for its members.
The BSU secretary also called on the government to pay four months of withheld salary to its members.
He said, “The government attitude of breaching agreements has not augured well for industrial relations, and this has been the basis for many strikes since it is the only thing that governments respond to.
“The Integrated Personal Payment Information System (IPPIS) became a monster in the university system. The payment system caused university backwardness and encouraged corruption in the system.
“The federal government directives are yet to be complied with up to this point, after several months since the directive of the President was announced in the Federal Executive Council.
“Universities have continued to adopt IPPIS, while the Federal Government has also directed that universities should use the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS).
“This current decision indicates that the government is not ready to restore university autonomy.
On the constitution of the governing councils of universities, the BSU ASUU noted that federal government erred in dissolving those councils whose tenures have not lapsed.
He said, “The only reason a Visitor must truncate the tenure of a council is where such a council is found wanting in its duties and responsibilities, especially as may be submitted by a visitation panel instituted by the Visitor.
“Councils usually have tenure and cannot be removed based on the whims and caprices of a Visitor before the expiration of its tenure.
The Union which lamented that successive administrations have deliberately planned to demobilize the union however submitted that it has totally lost hope in the current regime based on her negligence to the functioning of Nigerian universities.
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