The Nigerian Federal Government has acknowledged flaws in the implementation of the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS) while indicating that relevant agencies were handling it to correct irregularities.
Consequently, the government has written Bursars of tertiary institutions to compile all problems that may be peculiar to them.
But the explanation has not gone down well with the Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprised of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Associated Institutions (NASU).
According to the university Unions, government doesn’t need to write them or fix a meeting before it pays members their full salaries and release their payment slips.
Recall that while the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU, has sustained its objection to the IPPIS Policy, other Unions within the tertiary education system which had earlier enlisted in the on payment platform have been counting their losses and calling on the office of the Accountant General of the Federation and Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning to correct the abnormalities.
While many of the unions have issued strike notice once academic activities resume, the Labour Minister said his office has been duly notified of such threats and was making efforts to meet with the leaderships of the unions.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who disclosed this in Abuja, on Sunday, said that his office was planning to apply for a special pass from the Presidential Task Force, PTF on COVID-19 for a physical meeting with the unions to thrash out all the contentious issues.
But Samson Ugwoke led JAC said they expect the government to correct all the observed flaws through the IPPIS platform and release their Earned Allowances before the total easing of the lockdown.
Fielding questions on the notice of strike issued by the non teaching staff in the universities and the allegation of payment of half salaries to members of the unions by the IPPIS office, Ngige said that efforts were on top gear to correct all the problems.
According to him, “We are on top of the situation, we have received their letter. Their letter borders on shortcomings of the IPPIS system and I have spoken with the Finance Minister and the Accountant General of the Federation and they said that they are in touch with the University Bursars to correct certain peculiarities and send back to them to treat.”
“However, it’s important to point out that one of the shortcomings which the Universities workers pointed out is that the IPPIS is over taxing them and that IPPIS skipped some of their people who have taken leave of absence and the rest of them all.”
“These are matters that can be easily adjusted, the IPPIS office informed me that immediately the lockdowns are down, these Bursars are to come up, but before then that they should by e-system try to give them additional information on some of those shortcomings and that they will try as much as possible to correct them.”
“We have equally gone out to the unions and asked them that we want to meet with them and the IPPIS, so we are trying to see if we can arrange a special pass for them so that their leaders could come up here and we have the meeting”.
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