ASUU Urges FG To Fully Implement IPPIS, Nimi Briggs Agreement

• ASUU urges swift renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, highlighting public university lecturers’ stagnant salaries since 2009 despite inflation
• ASUU calls for university autonomy in payment platforms, criticizing IPPIS and demanding the release of withheld third-party deductions and arrears

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abuja Zone, has expressed frustration over the continued payment of salaries through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) despite the Federal Government’s decision to remove tertiary institutions from the system four months ago.

ASUU called on the Federal Government to expedite renegotiating the FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement, highlighting that lecturers in public universities have been on the same salary structure since 2009 despite severe inflation. Salahu Mohammed Lawal, the Coordinator of the ASUU Abuja Zone, disclosed this during a press conference in Abuja. The zone includes the University of Abuja, Federal University Lafia, Federal University of Technology Minna, Ibrahim Badamasi University Lapai, and Nasarawa State University Keffi.

Lawal stated, “We are surprised that over four months after the government realized the inadequacies of the IPPIS platform and ordered the exit of tertiary institutions from it, our members are now being paid under the ‘New IPPIS’ platform. This violates the understanding reached at the January 11, 2024, stakeholders meeting at the National Universities Commission (NUC), which led to the ‘Guidelines for Good Governance and Financial Management in Tertiary Institutions Post IPPIS Exit’ issued on April 8, 2024.”

He called on the government to ensure the autonomy of the university system by allowing institutions to adopt their preferred payment platforms under the supervision of their Governing Councils to maintain industrial harmony. ASUU also demanded the release of all outstanding third-party deductions held without justification by IPPIS.

ASUU urged the reinstatement of Governing Councils whose tenures have yet to expire and the reconstitution of those whose tenures have ended to allow universities to operate under their laws. The union criticized the creation of new universities without proper funding plans, stressing that this trend has overburdened the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). They urged the Tinubu administration and state governors to halt the unnecessary proliferation of universities and focus on funding existing ones.

The union also advised both Federal and State Governments to fulfil their responsibility of adequately funding public universities to address the growing decay and deterioration on campuses. They warned against diverting TETFund resources to fund student education loans, as this contradicts the original purpose of the Education Tax Fund.

Lawal added that the federal government has yet to pay the three and a half months’ salaries withheld during the 2022 nationwide strike. He noted that members in many state universities also owe arrears of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), withheld salaries, third-party deductions, and other entitlements.