ABUJA, Nigeria — The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has called on the Federal Government, particularly the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, to release the outstanding promotion arrears owed to its members immediately.
This comes amid rising concerns of employment racketeering perpetrated through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS.
In a statement released on Thursday, August 24, 2023, after a National Executive Council meeting at the University of Maiduguri, ASUU urged the government to take prompt action “in the interest of industrial peace and harmony in Nigerian universities.”
The statement read, “ASUU members are currently owed several months of promotion arrears arising from distortions traceable to the forceful enrollment of academics on the IPPIS platform. The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation has failed to address the issue despite several efforts by the union and university administrations.”
The statement also touched on issues beyond the unpaid arrears. “The National Executive Council was disturbed by reports of massive employment racketeering perpetuated by operators of the discredited IPPIS, including scandalous revelations at the recent sittings of House of Representatives’ Probe Panel on IPPIS,” it noted.
According to ASUU, the recent employment racketeering has violated university employment traditions.
It is in direct contravention of the provisions of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2003 and individual universities’ Guidelines for Appointments and Promotions.
“ASUU rejects all illegal appointments sponsored by the IPPIS and its agents in Nigerian public universities,” the statement said.
The demands come at a critical time for Nigerian universities, which have been beleaguered by strikes, funding shortfalls, and infrastructural decay.
Many see the unpaid arrears and the alleged racketeering as adding insult to injury for a system already in crisis.
“Faculty members have long been at the short end of the stick,” said Dr. Emeka Okafor, a lecturer at the University of Lagos.
“Unpaid arrears and employment racketeering are not just damaging for the professors and staff; they undermine the very integrity of the educational system we’re a part of.”
As the government grapples with these urgent matters, the focus remains on the immediate release of funds.
However, the underlying issues raised by ASUU suggest that far-reaching reforms are needed to restore faith in Nigeria’s academic institutions.
