The federal government said it is stopping the salaries of lecturers, especially members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), because of its rejection of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). This the government noted is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive that all federal workers not captured in the IPPIS platform by the end of October 2019 be stopped from earning salaries.
Zainab Ahmed, Nigeria’s finance, budget and national planning minister, however, lamented the proposed industrial action by members of ASUU over the IPPIS issue. She said: “It is a pity if ASUU carries out this strike because what ASUU is saying now is that they should be treated differently from other staff of the government of Nigeria who is also on IPPIS.
“We will be discussing it with them. But at the end of the day, as far as I am concerned, the instruction is from the president,” the minister affirmed. The report quotes an official of the ministry as saying the federal government will not shift its stance on the IPPIS. “There is no sparing anyone because this is a policy of the government. There is nothing such as shifting grounds on this matter. The action has now been affected, in line with the order of the president,” the official said.
ASUU, through its president, Biodun Ogunyemi, has however announced it is suspending its strike and added that it has adopted an alternative pay system for its members. Guardian
