THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has restated that it rejected the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) because it violates the autonomy law of the university system.
ASUU President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi stated this on Thursday, November 5, 2020 at the Merit House headquarters of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Abuja, during ASUU’s presentation of Universities Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) to vice-chancellors, registrars and bursars.
“The journey to UTAS was not a smooth one. The immediate challenge came from the Federal Government of Nigeria’s (FGN) introduction of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) which ASUU rejected as unsuitable for the Nigerian University System. Principally, the union rejected IPPIS because it violates the autonomy law which empowers the Governing Councils to manage the personnel and finances of their universities; a clear departure from what obtains in the civil service where all civil servants are under the supervision of the Head of Service,” Prof Ogunyemi stated.
Prof Ogunyemi said for ASUU, UTAS is its contribution to technology innovation and development process in the country. “Our Union sees UTAS as a contribution to technology innovation and development process in Nigeria. ASUU recognises that our country should not be left behind in the global quest for knowledge economy with technology as the driver. It is a reality of today’s world that all human activities, including university operations and governance, are dependent on technology deployment. One way of demonstrating the capability of Nigerian scholars and researchers to contribute meaningfully to this global challenge was the development of UTAS.”
Prof Ogunyemi said long before the introduction of the IPPIS, ASUU had in 2013 “made the case for a personnel management and payroll platform that would take into context the peculiarities of the university system but the effort was frustrated by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF).
“Way back in 2013, ASUU made the case for a personnel management and payroll platform that would be sufficiently sensitive to the uniqueness of the university system and the flexibility of its operations in a transparent and accountable manner. While attempts were made in 2014 to form a joint FGN and ASUU team for the purpose of coming up with an applicable software along this line, the process was aborted midstream, by the OAGF. However, with the renewed pressure by the FGN for ASUU members to enroll in IPPIS as from June 2019, the union took up the challenge and commissioned some of its professional software engineers who, on a record time, came up with UTAS.”
Below is the full text of Prof Ogunyemi’s speech at the occasion:
Prof Biodun Ogunyemi’s Speech at the Merit House, Abuja, on the occasion of ASUU’s presentation of UTAS to Vice-Chancellors, Registrars and Bursars on Thursday, 5th November, 2020
Protocols – all protocols duly observed. Special appreciation to NUC Executive Secretary, Professor “Comrade” Abubakar Adamu Rasheed for making today’s event a reality, in spite of all odds.
Today marks the 4th level of presentation of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS). We started presenting the solution with the Hon. Minister of Education and senior management staff of the Ministry. This was followed by another presentation to the Senate President and the leadership of Senate. We then moved on to present UTAS at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) where other stakeholders, including the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Office of the National Security Adviser, were fully represented.
Today, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is pleased to present the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) to the most critical stakeholders in the project – the Vice-Chancellors, Registrars and Bursars of Nigerian universities. Our Union sees UTAS as a contribution to technology innovation and development process in Nigeria. ASUU recognises that our country should not be left behind in the global quest for knowledge economy with technology as the driver. It is a reality of today’s world that all human activities, including university operations and governance, are dependent on technology deployment. One way of demonstrating the capability of Nigerian scholars and researchers to contribute meaningfully to this global challenge was the development of UTAS.
The journey to UTAS was not a smooth one. The immediate challenge came from the Federal Government of Nigeria’s (FGN) introduction of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) which ASUU rejected as unsuitable for the Nigerian University System. Principally, the union rejected IPPIS because it violates the autonomy law which empowers the Governing Councils to manage the personnel and finances of their universities; a clear departure from what obtains in the civil service where all civil servants are under the supervision of the Head of Service. Way back in 2013, ASUU made the case for a personnel management and payroll platform that would be sufficiently sensitive to the uniqueness of the university system and the flexibility of its operations in a transparent and accountable manner. While attempts were made in 2014 to form a joint FGN and ASUU team for the purpose of coming up with an applicable software along this line, the process was aborted midstream, by the OAGF. However, with the renewed pressure by the FGN for ASUU members to enroll in IPPIS as from June 2019, the union took up the challenge and commissioned some of its professional software engineers who, on a record time, came up with UTAS.
ASUU has always argued that our universities should be made the hubs for technology innovation, if Nigeria is to become a major player in the 21st century knowledge economy. We believe R&D activities can only be meaningful when our universities become the real “development partners” instead of foreign agencies whose interests are rarely in sync with the interests and values of Nigeria. Therefore, the much avowed “local content” agenda must translate into government-university-industry collaboration, otherwise called the triple helix, for Nigeria to experience genuine and sustainable development in all aspects of its national life. All FGN-ASUU negotiated agreements since 1992 are infused with elements of the triple helix which, unfortunately, were never activated. UTAS has prospects for redirecting attention to the relevance of these and other neglected products of ASUU’s engagements with the Nigerian governments.
ASUU is grateful to all members of the UTAS Committee, under the leadership of Professor Suleiman D. Abdul, for answering the national call. We also acknowledge and appreciate the roles of all relevant government agencies that made the development and deployment of UTAS possible. We hope opportunities for collaboration created through this process would be broadened and deepened to enable our universities deliver faster and better on their three-legged mandate of teaching, research and community service.
You are all welcome. Thank you for listening.
Professor Biodun Ogunyemi
ASUU President
5th November, 2020
