University lecturers won’t go on strike over IPPIS ― CONUA

Nigerian university lecturers, under the aegis of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA), has said that they will not embark on any strike action over raging IPPIS issue.

It is recalled that the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, was reported to have said that lecturers of federal universities who are not on the IPPIS would not get February salary.

Speaking during the second national stakeholders meeting of the union, hosted by the Kwara State University (KWASU) in Ilorin at the weekend, the CONUA national coordinator, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, who read out resolutions of the meeting, however, said that the IPPIS should be made to effect payment of minimum wage.

The university lecturers, who condemned the delay in payment of February salary in federal universities across the country over the issues surrounding IPPIS, appealed to the Federal Government to give a seamless opportunity for IPPIS registration for academics who might have missed the opportunity before, without any negative effect.

“CONUA condemns in its entirety delay in payment of February 2020 salary to members of staff in federal universities across the country. Today is 7, and members are yet to receive their February salary payment. However, if the news on payment of February salary on the IPPIS in newspapers is anything to go by, CONUA welcomes it and we hope it will take care of peculiarities earlier agreed on.

“On the account of the IPPIS, CONUA will not be embarking on any strike because before now (November) we directed our members to enrol on the IPPIS and there is no need for strike action based on the IPPIS. However, we’re using this opportunity to implore the government to provide a seamless opportunity for enrolment on the platform by academics who might have missed that opportunity due to one reason or the other. By seamless opportunity, we mean an opportunity that would not negatively affect the primary duty of these academics, which is teaching and research.

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“As regards the IPPIS, we urge the government to effect payment of minimum wage to academics without any further delay. Staff who are enrolled on IPPIS before now, and who are not in the universities, have been paid. And we go to the same market,” the resolution said.

On review of labour laws in the country, the union said that the CONUA is currently studying review of the exercise, adding that the union would make a presentation at the National Assembly during a public hearing on the proposed bills.

The union also condemned in its entirety the unwholesome stigmatisation of a whole academics on alleged management and abuse of TETFUND research grant.

It called on Federal Government to identify the cases of abuse, those connected to it and bring them to justice in order to serve as a deterrent to others, “instead of entire castigation of all well-meaning, hardworking academics in the country.”

The union said that TETFUND should not stop research grant to university lecturers, as being rumoured, saying “no nation can develop above its capacity to conduct research because research cannot be conducted without fund. The rumoured stoppage could also have a negative effect on the nation.”