By Bassey Anthony, Uyo

The Calabar zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) of imposing the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System on Nigerian universities.

The zone’s ASUU Coordinator, Dr. Aniekan Brown, stated this yesterday when he addressed reporters in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.

The OAGF, Brown said, introduced concepts that are alien to laws for the daily running of the nation’s universities.

He expressed surprised that the OAGF was bent on forcing the university system into IPPIS, while some other Federal institutions were not forced into it.

“The attempt by the OAGF to foist IPPIS on Federal universities is a flagrant negation and violation of the laws of the land. University autonomy is the bedrock of freedom in scholarship and research, and academics guard it jealously.

“Apart from the danger that IPPIS portends to the university system, ASUU is poised not to aid the OAGF to violate the laws of the land. ASUU has no doubt that law-abiding Nigerians will support and stand by the union in its struggle.

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“Again, the university system is peculiar in its modus operandi. The mode of employment, retirement age(s), sabbatical leave, adjunct, part-time, contract engagement, among others, are concepts that are unique to the university and obviously incompatible to IPPIS.

“The OAGF has been economical with the truth about addressing these peculiarities. In spite of obvious shortcomings to this system of payment, the OAGF is bent on plunging the university system into avoidable confusion. We, therefore, demand that the OAGF retrace its steps and heed superior reasoning…”

“Dear compatriot, may we inform you that the likes of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the National Judicial Council (NJC), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian Security and Minting Press, National Assembly Service Commission, among others, have not been forced into the IPPIS.

“This speaks volumes of the ‘fight against corruption’. The question is: why universities, whose condition of service and peculiarities are incongruous with the IPPIS forced into the scheme?” Brown said.

The union leader frowned at the allegation of corruption levelled against it for kicking against the IPPIS.

He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, there is no worse case of corruption than breaking or circumventing the law. As torch-bearers of Nigeria’s intellectual conscience, ASUU is committed to compelling the Federal Government to be law-abiding.”

The media briefing was attended by chairpersons of the union from Abia State University, University of Uyo, University of Calabar, Akwa Ibom State University, Ebonyi State University, among others.