Frank Ikpefan, Abuja
After about four hours of talks, the meeting between the Federal Government’s team and leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) came to an end without the lecturers calling off the strike they declared on Monday.
Both sides agreed to resume talks next week following a “successful deliberation.”
Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chria Ngige, who chaired the meeting, said that the government had proposed a merger of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System(IPPIS) and University Transparency and Account System (UTAS) developed by university lecturers as a way out of the contentious payroll system.
Ngige told reporters before the meeting went into technical session that the government called the meeting because of the two-week warning strike declared by the leadership of ASUU.
The minister faulted the leadership of ASUU for not properly informing the government of its decision to withdraw services from the universities as prescribed by the provisions of industrial relations.
At the end of the meeting, Ngige told the press that their deliberation was “successful.”
Ngige said both sides debated where necessary by putting forward their points.
The minister said: “We had a fulfilling discussion. Where necessary, we debated and put forward our points on both sides. We used the Memorandum of Action which we entered into in February 2019 and looked at issues that were not fully addressed. We moved to the non-caption of some ASUU members on IPPIS platform which resulted in the withholding of their salaries.
“Both sides realised we are working for our country. ASUU already has the University Transparency and Account System. We had preliminary agreement to accommodate the two systems.
“ASUU will have to get back to its members and agree on how to couple the two systems.
“We will continue discussion. After ASUU consults with its members and decision making authority, we will meet on Monday or Tuesday.
ASUU President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, said the issues discussed came from outstanding issues which had beeen overshadowed by IPPIS.
Ogunyemi said that both sides have agreed to consult and get back at a later date.
The ASUU president said he could not make any pronouncement on when the strike would be suspended until he consulted with other members of the union.
He said: “From the discussion we had, we have agreed that we will go and consult.
“We cannot pronounce of the proposals that came up until we consult with our members. We will leave it there for now.”
Read Also: Ongoing ASUU strike is illegal – FG
In a speech he made before the technical session began, Ogunyemi, told the minister that IPPIS was a distraction created by government to divert the union from its actual agitation.
According to him, the system would take the university system back for many years, adding that it had become a feature of governance in Nigeria to watch situation degenerate before looking for solution.
He said: “At the earlier meeting in the House of Representatives, it appeared that it is a feature of Nigeria governance style that until there is fire somewhere, nobody will make effort to avert the fire.
“We recall that on February 7, 2019, we were here and we signed a Memorandum of Action, there were items that were outlined, rules were signed and time frame as attacked. We have written three letters in respect of those items while we acknowledged that some of them were activated even before we concluded the discussion then
“But there were key areas over which we have been raising issues. We were thinking that we were going to trash those items that were outstanding until July 2019, when suddenly IPPIS was thrown at us.
“Let me state clearly that IPPIS for us was a distraction when it came because in 2013, it was first introduced to us and we engaged officers in charge then. By 2014 when we were almost coming to the point of providing an alternative, government side withdrew and for five years, we did not hear anything from IPPIS office until July 2019. Suddenly, it appears IPPIS has been made the major subject of university governance and staff unionism.”
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