ASUU Prepares For Strike, Fights Against IPPIS

ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi

Emmanuella, L.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU) will decide on whether to embark on a nationwide strike with its members this week. This is based on the Federal Government's decision to stop the salaries of lecturers who have not enrolled in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

The ASUU National Executive Council meeting was held at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu , Saturday and Sunday, where the issue of  IPPIS and other salient matters were discussed .

However, the Federal Government has promised to  pay February salaries of its worker this week especially to those who had registered on the IPPIS.

Reports reviewed that the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd. ), had in October last year instructed all Federal Government workers to enroll in the IPPIS to ensure transparency of which ASUU kicked against the directive on the basis of negating the principle of autonomy of universities.

The Minister of Finance , Budget and National Planning , Zanaib Ahmed , in an interview at a management retreat in Kano on Thursday said 55 per cent of ASUU members had enrolled for the IPPIS, saying, “ the ones that have not are not getting their February salary .”
A reliable source at the Enugu meeting of ASUU said the lecturers had been asked to go on strike if their salaries were stopped.

Chairman of ASUU, University of Ibadan , Prof . Ayoola Akinwole , said the union would respond appropriately when February salaries were paid . Also, it was gathered that no worker of the University of Ibadan , both teaching and non- teaching , had been paid the February salary as of Friday.

He noted that the action of the academic staff union soley depends on whether the FG would make good its threat or not.