The leadership of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on Tuesday, vowed to continue to resist the enrollment of its members on the Integrated Payroll Information System (IPPIS), by the Federal Government.
ASUU’s National Vice-President, Comrade Emmanuel Osodeke, said the union has made its position known to the government that ASUU would not join the IPPIS platform.
He spoke with reporters during the 2019 ASUU Heroes’ Day in Abuja.
Osodeke argued that there was no where in the world that salaries and wages of university staff are paid from a central system by government.
He maintained that in line with the best practices in the world and the peculiarities of the university system, every university should have its own structure
According to him, every university has its own Governing Council that employ the workers and not the Federal Civil Service Commission.
He said: “The union has made its position known to the federal government and we are awaiting the government’s response
“Therefore, the Council must determine the mode of payment of its workers, and not Accountant General Office. We are looking at peculiarities of universities and we must fight for it.”
When reminded that stopping salaries of university workers would affect them, he said “When we get there we know what to do.”
On sex-for-marks scandal rocking many universities in Nigeria, the ASUU President said this was a media hype.
According to him, every university has a law and the laws spell out how to deal with such cases.
Besides, he said ASUU as a Union has committees on ethics and discipline of members in all the branches, adding that those who are involved in sexual harassment have been dealt with accordingly.
He said what is happening was that the media have overblown the issues, noting that these were isolated cases being presented as if it is the general thing happening in all universities in Nigeria.
“Some who were involved have been disciplined, some have been sacked and we even have those who are in jail. But when they are disciplined it does not make news,” he said.
Osodeke, who earlier read the speech of the ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, at the event, said the 2019 Heroes’ Day marks the second occasion ASUU is celebrating their comrades and compatriots, who have made significant contributions to the growth and resilience of the union.
He noted that 12th of November every year is set aside for Heroes Remembrance Day in honour of the late Festus Iyayi.
Late Iyayi was a former president of ASUU who died on 12th November 2013 at Lokoja in an accident involving the convoy of the then Governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada.
He noted that over a long time, some of their members had made sacrifices with some losing their lives in the struggle.
“You are aware of Festus Iyayi who lost his life in the course of the struggle and we felt we should not allow that name to just go like that, which was why we instituted the award and Heroes Remembrance Day celebration to spur the younger ones on the need to make sacrifices,” he said.
The high point of the celebration was the conferment of heroes awards on the former Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, who was the President of the union from 1990 to 1994.
Others awarded include, Prof. Biodun Jeyfo, Prof. Assisi Asobie, Dr Dipo Fashina, Prof. Abdullahi Sule-Kano and Dr Nasir Isa Fagge, who were also former Presidents of the union.
