IPPIS: FG to decide VCs’ extension request today

The Federal Government will on Monday (today) decide on the request by vice chancellors of some federal universities to extend the enrollment of lecturers on the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

The IPPIS enrollment, which commenced on November 25, came to an end on December 7.

Figures obtained from the IPPIS office on Friday showed that about 39,160 university lecturers in 27 universities had been enrolled into the payroll platform.

Investigation by the Punch correspondent on Sunday in Abuja indicated that over 45,000 lecturers might have been enrolled as of Saturday.

A source in the Accountant-General’s office told our correspondent the IPPIS programme coordinator would on Monday present a report to the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Ahmed Idris, on the number of those enrolled into the platform.

The official, who pleaded not to be named as he was not officially permitted to speak on the matter, said the meeting would deliberate on the request made by some vice chancellors for extension in view of the enrolment gaps that existed during the implementation of the initiative.

He said while the exercise commenced on schedule in some universities, there were delays in its implementation in other areas due to logistics.

The official said, “By tomorrow, we will know what the next step will be. Today is Sunday and we are not at work.

“The Accountant-General will be briefed tomorrow on what we have done and he will decide what the next steps would be, based on what we will present to him.

“ASUU is just giving us distraction; there is no cause for alarm. We have made significant progress in this exercise.”

The Director, IPPIS, Mr Olufehinti Olusegun, had during an exclusive interview with our correspondent on Friday said over 3,000 workers had been enrolled at the University of Benin while University of Port Harcourt and Ahmadu Bello University had enrolment figures of about 1,900 and 3,500 workers respectively, among others.

Asuu disagree with FG figures on IPPIS

But the Academic Staff Union of Universities, on Sunday, alleged that the claim by Federal Government that it had enrolled over 39,000 lecturers on the controversial Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System was “fake news”.

The ASUU Chairman, University of Ibadan, Prof. Deji Omole, claimed in a statement, that the union recorded over 90 per cent compliance from its members.

Omole also described as laughable the claim by a government agency that it discovered 100 fake professors in Nigerian Universities when it still needed verification of the names from university administrations.

The professor of forest engineering stated that university lecturers were different from university workers which the government enrolled.

He said, “Our members stand with their union. We are fighting a just cause and we have won government. Their desperation stinks and their lawlessness is legion.”

At the University of Ilorin our correspondent, who was at the new Senate chamber, venue of the exercise on Saturday, observed that many workers were still trying to complete the registration formalities.

Effort to speak with the leader of the team from the Federal Ministry of Finance, which conducted the exercise, failed as he insisted he was not competent to comment on the matter.

He said, “If you want any information on this exercise, please contact our office in Abuja; we are not authorised to speak with the press.”

NASU Chairman, Zuberu Ibrahim, said the registration should be extended to ensure all workers in the institution were captured in the exercise.”

But the Unilorin branch Chairman of ASUU, Prof. Moyosore Ajao, said members of the union were not participating in the IPPIS registration.

Source: PUNCH.