FG to decide VCs’ extension request today – TheNigerialawyer

The Federal Government will on Monday (today) decide on the
request by vice chancellors of some federal universities to extend
the enrollment of lecturers on the Integrated Personnel Payroll
Information System, Punch report.

The IPPIS enrollment, which commenced on November 25, came to an
end on December 7.

Figures obtained from the IPPIS office on Friday showed that
about 39,160 university lecturers in 27 universities had been
enrolled into the payroll platform.

Investigation by our correspondent on Sunday in Abuja indicated
that over 45,000 lecturers might have been enrolled as of
Saturday.

A source in the Accountant-General’s office told our
correspondent the IPPIS programme coordinator would on Monday
present a report to the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr
Ahmed Idris, on the number of those enrolled into the platform.

The official, who pleaded not to be named as he was not
officially permitted to speak on the matter, said the meeting would
deliberate on the request made by some vice chancellors for
extension in view of the enrolment gaps that existed during the
implementation of the initiative.

He said while the exercise commenced on schedule in some
universities, there were delays in its implementation in other
areas due to logistics.

The official said, “By tomorrow, we will know what the next step
will be. Today is Sunday and we are not at work.

“The Accountant-General will be briefed tomorrow on what we have
done and he will decide what the next steps would be, based on what
we will present to him.

“ASUU is just giving us distraction; there is no cause for
alarm. We have made significant progress in this exercise.”

The Director, IPPIS, Mr Olufehinti Olusegun, had during an
exclusive interview with our correspondent on Friday said over
3,000 workers had been enrolled at the University of Benin while
University of Port Harcourt and Ahmadu Bello University had
enrolment figures of about 1,900 and 3,500 workers respectively,
among others.

But the Academic Staff Union of Universities, on Sunday, alleged
that the claim by Federal Government that it had enrolled over
39,000 lecturers on the controversial Integrated Personnel Payroll
and Information System was “fake news”.

The ASUU Chairman, University of Ibadan, Prof. Deji Omole,
claimed in a statement, that the union recorded over 90 per cent
compliance from its members.

Omole also described as laughable the claim by a government
agency that it discovered 100 fake professors in Nigerian
Universities when it still needed verification of the names from
university administrations.

The professor of forest engineering stated that university
lecturers were different from university workers which the
government enrolled.

He said, “Our members stand with their union. We are fighting a
just cause and we have won government. Their desperation stinks and
their lawlessness is legion.”

At the University of Ilorin our correspondent, who was at the
new Senate chamber, venue of the exercise on Saturday, observed
that many workers were still trying to complete the registration
formalities.

Effort to speak with the leader of the team from the Federal
Ministry of Finance, which conducted the exercise, failed as he
insisted he was not competent to comment on the matter.

He said, “If you want any information on this exercise, please
contact our office in Abuja; we are not authorised to speak with
the press.”

NASU Chairman, Zuberu Ibrahim, said the registration should be
extended to ensure all workers in the institution were captured in
the exercise.”

But the Unilorin branch Chairman of ASUU, Prof. Moyosore Ajao,
said members of the union were not participating in the IPPIS
registration.

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