The battle against the controversial Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System seems to have taken a new dimension as the Academic Staff Union of Universities sets to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly today, October 28th.
WITHIN NIGERIA learnt that the said meeting would be held behind closed doors in Abuja.
According to reports, “It has been confirmed that the ASUU leadership will meet the leadership of the National Assembly on Monday. The meeting will centre on the ongoing face-off between ASUU and the Federal Government over the IPPIS saga.”
The Academic Staff Union of Universities started her agitation barely 8 days after President Buhari ordered all public sector workers to register for IPPIS to save cost and fight corruption by blocking leakages in the Federal Government’s salary payment structure while presenting the 2020 budget at the National Assembly on October 8.
Meanwhile, the directive of the President was opposed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities saying the IPPIS negated the law on university autonomy while the Accountant General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris faulted ASUU’s decision and described it as an open endorsement of corruption.
The Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, Ola Awoniyi, on Sunday confirmed ASUU’s meeting with the National Assembly leadership. He said the meeting would hold at 11am in his principal’s conference room. Awoniyi in a WhatsApp message to one of our correspondents, wrote, “The Academic Staff Union of Universities will meet His Excellency, the Senate President, on Monday at Meeting Room 301 by 11am.”
ASUU National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, also confirmed the meeting, but declined to provide details of demands the union would table before the Senate President. “The most important thing is that we are meeting tomorrow (Monday). We want to discuss the Nigerian education generally. All issues (including the IPPIS) will be touched. I think that is enough,” the ASUU president noted.
