ASUU Insists on UTAS, Rejects Federal Government’s Payment Platforms
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has restated its opposition to the federal government’s Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and the Government Integrated Financial Management and Information System (GIFMIS), citing their incompatibility with the autonomy of universities.
In an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, emphasized that the union’s preferred payment platform, University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), aligns with the statutory provision that university finances should be managed by their governing councils.
Osodeke explained that UTAS allows universities to plan for staff recruitment and salary payments independently, unlike IPPIS and GIFMIS, which erode university autonomy and meddle with internal affairs.
He also dismissed the federal government’s recent guidelines for the formal exit of federal tertiary institutions from IPPIS, describing them as "game-playing."
Osodeke argued that GIFMIS, the platform recommended by the federal government, is still an appendage of IPPIS and does not address the fundamental issues with the system. He noted that universities are currently unable to discipline erring officials or terminate payments to non-staff members due to IPPIS’s control over salary payments.
Regarding the claim that ASUU’s insistence on UTAS is intended to shield lecturers teaching in multiple institutions, Osodeke clarified that the university’s establishment act permits lecturers to teach in two institutions, with laid-down guidelines.
He also explained that UTAS has built-in checks to prevent lecturers from teaching in more than two institutions and to reject sabbatical leave requests that do not meet the six-year requirement.
Osodeke criticized the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for its claim that UTAS had failed three integrity tests, citing a previous report that scored UTAS 97.3% before later recounting.
He emphasized that UTAS is a credible and trusted payment platform that captures the unique characteristics of Nigeria’s university system, and that the government’s insistence on using IPPIS is misguided.
The ASUU President noted that the union’s planned strike notice remains in effect, but they have given the government space to conclude the new renegotiation committee set up to address the payment platform and other issues.
