CALABAR zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Monday accused some vice chancellors of cashing in on the COVID-19-induced closure of universities to manipulate the processes of appointments and promotions in the system, among other infractions.
It says the vice chancellors, whom it did not name, are conniving with senior officials of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPS) to achieve their plans.
The chairman of the zone, which comprises no fewer than seven universities, and current chairman of the University of Uyo branch of ASUU, Dr Aniekan Brown, made the allegation at a media briefing of the union in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.
But he vowed that the union would stop at nothing to expose the fraud and invalidate products of any rigged process in the Nigerian university system.
He said, “It will shock you to note that in the face of the ongoing industrial dispute by the union, COVID-19 lockdown and closure of schools (particularly, universities), some VCs are rigging the processes of appointments and promotions; in some cases with active connivance of staff of IPPIS.
“Our union will expose such and stop at nothing in invalidating products of any rigged process. There are procedures of appointments and promotions in the university system, but these VCs are conniving with these IPPIS staff to raise new sets of appointments, some of whose qualifications are in doubt.”
Brown, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Uyo, cautioned such VCs against clamouring for the reopening of universities, saying their intention is to exploit Nigerian students via school fees.
He expressed worry that there is no evidence that COVID-19 protocols and other precautions would be adhered to when such schools reopen.
He said, “Some universities serving as cash cow to government are clamouring for reopening of universities. The very impetus for this is to continually exploit Nigerians via school fees.
“Regrettably, there is no evidence that the COVID-19 protocols and other safety issues will be enforced. They do not care about the safety and lives of Nigerians; all they care about is how to exploit the system for their personal benefits. With this, we have blown the whistle.”
Brown said despite not having received salaries for months, members of the union have resolved to go ahead with the struggle for betterment of public universities.
He said the union came up with the University Transparency and Accountability Solutions (UTAS) as an alternative to the “fraud-infested IPPIS” and called on education managers to subject it to integrity test.
“The ball now is now in the court of government to subject UTAS to requisite integrity tests as objectively as possible,” he said.
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