The Federal Government has bowed to pressure from the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, by approving the exemption of universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS.
Recall IPPIS was one of the contending issues for which the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on industrial action for eight months in 2022, grounding academic activities in all public universities especially, federal government-owned ones.
However, approving the exemption of tertiary institutions from IPPIS, the government said remunerations to staff members of the schools would no longer be paid through the platform.
After the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday, the Minister of the Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris said the “universities and other tertiary institutions have gotten a very big relief from the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System”.
Noting that university authorities and others had been clamouring for exemption from this system, he announced, “Today, the Council has graciously approved that.
“What that means is that going forward, the universities, as the Honorable Minister of Education has said and other tertiary institutions, the polytechnics and colleges of education will be taken off the IPPIS.
“What that means in simple language is that the university authorities and other tertiary institutions will now pay their personnel from their own end instead of relying on the IPPIS.”
Education minister, Prof. Tahir Mamman, said President Bola Tinubu and the Council were “concerned about the efficiency of management of the universities”.
According to him, the decision had nothing to do with the integrity of IPPIS.
“The president cannot understand why vice-chancellors should be leaving their duty post and running to Abuja to get staff enlisted on IPPIS when they get recruited,” he said.
According to him, universities are governed by laws that give them autonomy in certain respects.
According to him, the IPPIS has compromised the autonomy granted to universities under such laws.
