IPPIS: Reps intervene in FG, ASUU crisis

The House of Representatives has resolved to intervene in the crisis between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities over the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System.

The House resolved to probe into the crisis following the unanimous adoption of a motion by Tajudeen Abass, who called for the intervention of the parliament in the crisis.

The House mandated the Committees on Finance; Education; and Labour, Employment and Productivity “to intervene in the conflict with a view to identifying the cause of the conflict, reconciling the worrying parties, and report in two weeks’ time.”

While the Federal Government is insisting on capturing university lecturers on the IPPIS, ASUU has insisted on being exempted from the system.

The Federal Government had said it had received the nominal roll of about 41 universities as part of moves to capture university workers, despite ASUU’s opposition.

Moving the motion, Abass said the House was convinced that the IPPIS policy had been used as an effective and efficient tool to fight the malaise of ghost workers, which he said appeared to have defied all policies and mechanisms put in place in the public service before now to sanitised the system.

The lawmaker said, consequently, since the inception of the IPPIS policy in 2007 to date, the Federal Government had saved about N12bn by eliminating thousands of ghost workers.

Abass said, “The House is concerned that in spite of the several benefits of the IPPIS policy, the implementation of the policy has generated some controversies in some MDAs and has manifested some drawbacks which should be addressed.

“The House is worried that ASUU, in reaction to the new Federal Government directives on the implementation of IPPIS, is not only objecting to the application of the policy to the federal universities but has issued three counter directive to all its members not to comply with the directive

“The House is also worried that ASUU has threatened to go on strike if the Federal Government attempts to enforce the implementation of the policy in the federal universities on the grounds that the policy lacks legal backing and its derogates from the autonomy of the universities.

“The House is alarmed that if the Federal Government refused to back down on the implementation of the IPPIS policy in the universities as demanded by ASUU, ASUU may go on another strike which may jeopardise the current peace and stability being enjoyed in our university campuses.”
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