FG Suspends University Lecturers’ Salaries Over Non IPPIS Compliance


The federal government has decided that all university staff who are yet to be enrolled on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), would be removed from its payroll with effect from November, 2020.

A letter from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), dated October 8, and signed by the director of IPPIS, Dr. Nsikak Ben, and addressed to all vice-chancellors, stated that such staff would cease to receive salaries until they are properly enrolled on the platform.


The correspondence titled: “Stoppage of Salaries of University Staff that are yet to be Enrolled on IPPIS Platform”, reads: “I am directed to inform you that any staff of your institution, who has not enrolled on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), either as a result of study leave (with pay), maternity leave or on medical ground, will no longer appear on the IPPIS payroll with effect from November, 2020 payroll, except such staff who presents himself for the biometric data capture at the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), Abuja with an introduction letter/IPPIS enrollment forms duly endorsed by the principal authorities of the institution.

“In addition, all supporting documents should include evidence of a six months salary bank statement. In view of the above, kindly inform your staff in this category to urgently avail themselves for the biometric data capture at the OAGF.“However, exemption may only be given where institutions provide evidence of study leave, stating the duration to justify such persons being retained on the payroll. Please accept the assurances of the warm regards of the Accountant-General of the Federation.”

Relationship between the federal government and the university staff under the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had deteriorated recently over the objection of the latter to be enrolled on the IPPIS payment platform, which the government said will help cut waste and corruption in public service by eliminating ghost workers as well as helping to have an accurate number of its actual workforce.However, ASUU had maintained that the IPPIS will retard progress in the educational system because of the peculiar nature of its operations and asked for an exemption.



The union also developed the Universities Transparency and Accountability System (UTAS), as an alternative to the IPPIS.Meanwhile, ASUU national president, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, had earlier dismissed reports linking President Muhammadu Buhari that university lecturers would not be paid for failure to enrol in IPPIS.

According to him, the directive on IPPIS was meant for civil servants and university academics are not civil servants. We have an understanding with the government to develop an alternative platform which would be sensitive to the operations of the university, accommodate the peculiarities of the university system and respect the autonomy of our universities as obtained globally.

“The idea of seeking clearance from the Head of Service or the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation is alien to university operations because it will halt its flexibility. The University Miscellaneous (Provisions) (Amendment) Act (2003), which the government gazetted as University Autonomy Act (2007), has vested the powers of managing personnel and payroll system issues in the hands of each university’s governing council.“ASUU has gone beyond the debate on this matter.

On 9th January, 2019 when we visited Mr. President, who is Visitor to all federal universities, we reached an understanding that ASUU would develop its proposed University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) for testing and adoption for managing personnel information and payroll system in the universities.

“We have since done that and presented it to the Federal Ministry of Education. What is left is to present to other major stakeholders, particularly in the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning. The development of UTAS was done at no cost to the government. We used contributions from the check-off deductions of ASUU members to finance the project and this cost us millions of naira.

“IPPIS was designed by the World Bank for the civil service. We are aware of the antics of bureaucrats, especially in the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, aimed at bringing universities under their control.“ASUU will not fold its arms and watch the gains we made on the autonomy of Nigerian universities slip by. It took us several years of continuous struggle during the military to get here.

So, let nobody hide under the name of President Muhammadu Buhari to attack the autonomy of public universities because Nigerian scholars are prepared to resist it to the last drop of their blood.”

Orientdailynews