IPPIS and ASUU’s reasons for resisting it

The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities have engaged in fierce war of words over the government’s decision to make universities embrace the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.

President Muhammadu Buhari had, during the 2020 budget presentation at the National Assembly on October 8, ordered that all public sector workers must register for the IPPIS to save cost and fight corruption by blocking leakages in the Federal Government’s salary payment structure.

But ASUU had, last week, opposed the President’s directive, saying the IPPIS negated the law of university autonomy.

Here’s what you need to know about the IPPIS and ASUU’s reasons for resisting it.

The IPPIS

• IPPIS Secretariat is a Department under the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation

• It is responsible for payment of salaries and wages directly to government employee’s bank account with appropriate deductions and remittances of third party payments.

• Such third party payments include the Federal Inland Revenue Service, State Boards of Internal Revenue, National Health Insurance Scheme, National Housing Fund, Pension Fund Administrator, Cooperative Societies, Trade Unions Dues, Association Dues and Bank Loans.

• IPPIS claims that its main aim is to pay accurately and on time within statutory and contractual regulations.

• There are 459 Ministries, Departments and Agencies on IPPIS Platform as at 31st June, 2017.

• The department is responsible for processing and payment of salary to over 300,000 Federal Government Employees across the 459 MDAs.

• IPPIS aim is to enrol into the platform, all Federal Government MDAs that draws personnel cost fund from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

• Since inception of the IPPIS project in April 2007, the department has saved the Federal Government of Nigeria billions of Naira by eliminating thousands of ghost workers.

What ASUU says about the IPPIS

• It violates existing laws and autonomy of the university

• It is World Bank-designed exploitative template

• IPPIS does not make provisions for payment of arrears of promotion, study leave allowance, and responsibility allowance, among others

• It is designed to phase out university lecturers above 60 years against the new policy where professors retire at 70 years

• IPPIS is a one-size-fits-all approach tainted with corrupt tendencies

Battle line drawn

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has warned that anyone who fails  to register  for the  IPPIS by  October 31  would not be paid.

ASUU fires back: “No pay, no work.”