Emmanuel OchayiThe Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged the Federal Government to pay their promotion arrears and condemns the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System IPPIS employment irregularities.
Following a thought-provoking National Executive Council (NEC) meeting hosted at the University of Maiduguri, the association has pulled back the curtains on two crucial matters that have left the educational realm in turmoil.
In a press release that reverberated through the education sector on Thursday morning, ASUU minced no words as they brought forth their grievances. “NEC noted with serious concern that ASUU members are currently owed several months of promotion arrears arising from distortions traceable to the forceful enrollment of academics on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information platform,” the statement revealed in a tone of frustration.
The brunt of these discrepancies, it seems, has not only disturbed the members but has also tampered with the delicate fabric of harmony in Nigerian universities.
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For a union often associated with its advocacy for fair rights and conditions for academic staff, this move was far from predictable. “Consequently, ASUU calls on the OAGF to ensure the immediate release of the backlog of promotion arrears to our members in the interest of industrial peace and harmony,” the statement emphasized, unveiling a strategic plea that underscores the necessity of resolving the impasse for the sake of maintaining industrial equilibrium.
However, it wasn’t just the haunting arrears that ruffled ASUU’s feathers. The statement continued to expose a web of employment racketeering that had spread its tentacles within the academia.
The controversial Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) took center stage, as ASUU claimed, “NEC was disturbed by reports of massive employment racketeering perpetuated by operators of the discredited IPPIS, including scandalous revelations at the recent sittings of House of Representatives’ Probe Panel on IPPIS.”
These accusations were bolstered by a sense of alarm as the traditional norms of university employment appeared to be teetering on the edge of decay, potentially breaching established legal guidelines and university regulations.
In a striking show of defiance, ASUU held its ground against the questionable appointments spawned by the IPPIS. “ASUU rejects all illegal appointments sponsored by the IPPIS and its agents in Nigerian public universities,” the statement declared, driving home the union’s unwavering stance against what they perceive as a threat to the very essence of academia.
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