The Federal Government has approved the release of N30 billion earned academic allowance to the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU). The money is part of the Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) to the union. The Government will pay the money in tranches between May 2021 and January 2022. As part of the concession to end the seven-month strike, the government also promised to spend N20bn on the revitalisation of the education sector. These agreements were arrive at during the meeting between the Federal Government and the academic staff union leadership on Thursday. At the yesterday’s meeting, the body of lecturers, insisted that the government should pay their outstanding salaries through GIFMIS before full implementation of University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, but the government insisted on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS.
ASUU, also yesterday, directed all its members across universities in Nigeria to reject IPPIS officials coming to various campuses on Monday for biometric data capturing of its members.
This was contained in an official letter, signed by Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, President of ASUU and sent to all zonal coordinators and all its members on Thursday.
“All ASUU members should have nothing to do with them. Fact-Check by ASUU with the figures from the OAGF has proven the claim that our members are trooping to enroll in the IPPIS in Abuja as false,” the letter said.
ASUU said, “The leadership of our great Union is fully aware of the hardship the non-payment of salaries by the Accountant-General and other forms of intimidation by over-zealous Vice-Chancellors have unleashed on our membership and we are leaving no stone unturned to redress the situation. Therefore, all members of ASUU should STAY AWAY from anything related to IPPIS, so as not to jeopardize the ongoing critical engagement with the Federal Government.”
Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, also confirmed the above information at a meeting between the Federal Government and ASUU on Friday in Abuja.
“The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) was committed to release N30 billion on or before Nov. 6.
“The remaining N10 billion would be spread equally over the two tranches to be paid in May 2021 and February 2022 respectively. The OAGF should quickly conclude the verification of figures of EAA claims so as to clean up the figures from 2014 to 2020," Ngige said.
