IPPIS : We are not condoning corruption, ASUU tells FG

President Muhammadu Buhari

The Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) has revealed that its decision not to enrol in the federal government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) was not in any way to promote corruption in the education sector.

Buhari had, during the 2020 budget presentation at the National Assembly on October 8, ordered the stoppage of payment of salaries of civil servants, who failed to register for the IPPIS by the end of October (this month).

According to the President, the directive is part of efforts to manage personnel cost to fight corruption and save billions of naira.

Also, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, had faulted the decision of the lecturers saying the union’s position was an open endorsement of corruption

However, speaking with Nigerian Tribune in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital on Tuesday, the vice-chairman of ASUU in the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) Dr Habibat Adubiaro denied that the lecturers were promoting corruption.

ALSO READ: JUST IN: FIRS confirms fire incident at headquarters

Dr Adubiaro maintained that the centralised payroll system of the Federal government invalidates university autonomy, noting that the lecturers are only responsible to the governing councils of the respective institutions

According to her, ” We are not condoning any corruption at all because we are an autonomous body. The Federal government is not paying us directly, the Federal government does not employ us directly. We are getting our directive from the governing council, the governing council is the highest decision making a body in the university. I know the Federal government appointed the governing council but they did not give us appointment letters, it is through the governing council.

” It is this same federal government that gives universities autonomy and that cannot be reversed since the agreement has been made. We are not in any way supporting corruption.

” Even the Senate President said during his meeting with the leadership of ASUU that since the federal government signed the agreement, it is bound on them. There is no going back on it.”

The Federal government has said it won’t be going back on the October 31 deadline for workers to enrol in IPPIS.