Finally, the ASUU Strike 2020 may be coming to its end, as the Nigerian government and Academic staff union of Universities have reach at least, an understanding.
Latest ASUU Strike Update Today is that the Academic Staff Union of Universities has said the University Transparency Accountability Solution can be ready in three weeks if the Federal Government is committed to seeing the strike called off.
To be precise, on November 5th, the Nigerian government told ASUU to transit to Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) pending when UTAS would be ready for use to pay the money that the Union is requesting.
But ASUU President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, today, disclose to a PUNCH correspondent that there was no need to transit to IPPIS since UTAS could be ready in at most three weeks if the government was sincere about being ready to pay the union.
Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi said and I quote below:
“What is left for UTAS right now is to pass the integrity test, and we’ve already started it with the National Information Technology Development Agency; we have submitted documents to NITDA for UTAS.
If the federal government demonstrates sufficient goodwill and support to our cause, we can put the final stage behind us in a matter of weeks, maybe two to three weeks at most. It is the goodwill, and commitment from the federal government that we are counting on. It will surprise so many Nigerians to know that this previous week, they still paid some of ASUU members who are not on IPPIS. So, what platform are they using to pay us?
“We have been telling them, use the platform you have been using to pay yourself and other government people; why the insistence on IPPIS on ASUU? That is the reason we are saying there is a hidden agenda about IPPIS and we think it’s not trustworthy.
“When the time comes, we will expose those who are behind the IPPIS and its hidden agenda. We have submitted every document needed to approve UTAS and pass the integrity test, except if they want to sit on the documents. If they don’t want to sit on the documents why are they saying we should go back to IPPIS,”?
When asked about the N30 billion Earned Academic Allowance offered by the Federal government which ASUU said it would be for its members alone, Ogunyemi explained that the union negotiated for ASUU not for other academic unions. The ASUU president further disclosed that it was illogical for the government to say other unions would benefit from it.
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