Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Thursday threatened prolonged strike over the Integrated Personnel Payroll System (IPPIS) dispute with the federal government.
Lecturers at a zonal conference in Ibadan described the Minister of Finance and the Accountant General of the Federation as โhigh priests of corruptionโ over the alleged lopsided implementation of IPPIS.
They also lashed out at the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, Sonny Echonu, as the latest Federal Government appointed liar on IPPIS, challenging him to tell Nigerians the percentage of lecturers in what ASUU described as fake statistics of enrollees on the IPPIS.
The union threatened that its ongoing two-week warning strike could snowball into a prolonged one should the government fail to address its concerns on unimplemented agreements.
Addressing a joint conference in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the Ibadan zonal chapter of ASUU comprising the University of Ibadan, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, University of Ilorin, Kwara State University and Osun State University, the zonal coordinator, Prof. Ade Adejumo, maintained that the union has been vindicated with underpayment, overpayment, none deduction of the third party deductions, outright omissions, among many other anomalies which characterised the February salary paid to those who enrolled on the IPPIS platform.
Adejumo, who was flanked by Prof. Ayo Akinwole (UI), Prof. Moyosore Ajao (UNILORIN), Dr Biodun Olaniran (LAUTECH), Dr Femi Abanikannda (UNISON) and Dr Dauda Adesola (KWASU), expressed worries that despite the regrets being expressed by those who enlisted on IPPIS and other shortcomings and sharp practices, the Accountant General of the Federation and the Finance Minister are insisting on going ahead with the platform.
His words: โPresently, the outcry emanating from university workers over the payment of February salary has vindicated ASUUโs position on the evil platform of IPPIS as an unworkable platform.
โโTo say the least, IPPIS is a haven for corruption rather than assisting in curbing it.โ
