The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced that it would be downing tools for two weeks, beginning from Monday, in order to press the government to implement various agreements and resolutions it reached with the union.
The strike action announcement was made by the National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, at the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT).
Mr. Ogunyemi said the union wants the government to implement the agreement both parties reached under 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, the 2013 memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the 2017 Memorandum of Action (MoU).
“Following a comprehensive review of the state of Nigerian universities, we wish to draw the attention of all stakeholders to an impending crisis in the university system arising from non-remittance of third party deductions from the salaries of our members and non-payment of February 2020 salaries.”
On the controversy surrounding the payroll management system, he said ASUU would not accept the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) of the government and wondered why the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) was rejected by the government.
“ASUU has pointed out serious deficiencies inherent in IPPIS. We have talked of the widely reported fraud being perpetrated by the operators of IPPIS within and outside the Auditor General of the Federation (AGF).
“The National Assembly has acknowledged the monumental fraud in IPPIS when the AGF appeared before its Public Accounts Committee and could defend the auditors’ query.
“However, government, through its agents, remains adamant on compelling ASUU members to enroll into IPPIS,” he said.
Responding to the strike action, the Federal Government said it was unlawful.
“There is nothing like a warning strike. A strike is a strike. They have gone on strike without the proper channel and notification for the strike. So, it is an illegal strike,” the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, was quoted by the Nation Newspaper as saying.
“We will meet with them; we have invited them. They have not responded to us. When they respond to us, they should be able to come as soon as possible,” he said.
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