Federal Government Grants Tertiary Institutions Exemption from IPPIS

In a significant development, the Nigerian government has made a groundbreaking decision to exclude tertiary institutions, including universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and monotechnics, from the use of the Integrated Personnel Payment System (IPPIS) for staff salary and allowance payments.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, who addressed State House correspondents following the Federal Executive Council meeting.

Minister Mamman, joined by other ministers during the briefing, confirmed that the directive is effective immediately. The move aims to alleviate the burden on vice-chancellors, who will no longer be required to interrupt their responsibilities to travel to Abuja for salary processing, as was the current practice.

The adoption of IPPIS had sparked prolonged disputes between government workers’ unions in federal tertiary institutions and the government. Specifically, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strongly opposed IPPIS, citing the unique characteristics of universities. In response, ASUU developed its payment platform known as the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).

This decision follows a turbulent period initiated by the government’s 2020 deadline for lecturers to enroll in IPPIS, resulting in the suspension of salaries for those who did not comply.

ASUU’s subsequent indefinite strike, lasting from March to October 2020, further complicated matters, leading to the cancellation of academic sessions in some institutions. The strike was eventually resolved with the intervention of influential figures in Nigeria.

The UTAS developed by ASUU remained unapproved by relevant government agencies, contributing to continued complaints about irregularities in member emoluments. ASUU consistently accused the government of encroaching on university autonomy and undermining governing councils and vice-chancellors.

Source: Premium Times