ASUU Asks EFCC To Investigate IPPIS Operation

By Niyi Olutunde, Akure

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU), Akure Zone, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to undertake a covert investigation on the operation of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the federal government.

It would be recalled that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) recently issued a press statement on the outcome of the interactions between the union, ASUU, and others on the government intent of compulsory migration of members of ASUU to the IPPIS.

ASUU while giving reasons why it rejected the plan by the federal government to enroll university workers into the IPPIS, said the policy was unacceptable to the union.

Speaking with journalists at the weekend at the Federal University of Technology Akure, the ASUU coordinator, Akure zone, Professor Olufayo Olu-Olu, described the OAGF publication as misleading, uncharitable and a blackmail against the union, while urging the EFCC to investigate the system.

“To the general public, kindly disregard the blackmail and innuendoes which the ill-fated release, aimed at painting our membership corrupt amongst other things, alleged”, Professor Olufayo said.

According to him, it was a pity that the OAGF having failed to proffer intellectual and constructive responses to our observations on the proposed policy, OAGF rushed to the press to malign ASUU members.

He maintained that as a union of members with integrity, ASUU are resolved to educate the public on the true positions of the ominous policy that is already regretted by those currently hosted on the platform.

Prof. Olufayo said, “the sixteen point release by the OAGF on ASUU’s opposition to IPPIS are just propagandic and does not show any sincere intention of the government to follow simple laws in the country.

“It is irresponsible of the OAGF to accuse the union of promoting corruption by opposing IPPIS.

“Despite our cry of gross maladministration and mismanagement of funds by certain public office holders, the OAGF has not been heard to make any indictment.

“Our resolve as always, is to stand against all enemies (foreign and domestic) of our ivory towers and ensure the illumination of our dear country, by protecting the threatened future of our children and those coming after them”.

The ASUU coordinator, Akure zone, who alleged that the Buhari administration’s intention on the IPPIS policy was to commercialise education, however vowed that the union would resist this in any guise.

Professor Olufayo said the IPPIS tussle with the union has been on since 2013 saying, “we expected that a serious and anti-corruption minded government would have seen reason to respect the law and let the universities run along their statutes.

“The autonomy act is sacrosanct and cannot be replaced by a policy, more so, we have argued and pointed out severally that universities are not MDAs and this fact is enshrined in the universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2003 Section 2AA as amended”.