Nigerians should hold the Federal Government responsible for any crisis that would befall universities in the country as a result of its resolve to force the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) into the IPPIS platform, the union has said.
In a statement at the weekend signed by Mahmoud M. Lawan, coordinator of ASUU, Kano Zone, the lecturers’ union maintained that it would not be “coerced, forced or cowed by an empty threat of salary stoppage from any neo-colonial lackey.”
“We in ASUU, have unanimously agreed to vehemently reject the forceful enrolment of our members on the IPPIS platform and warn the government about any plan to stop the salaries of our members or victimise them in any way,” ASUU said.
The union explained that IPPIS lacked legal basis, as it contradicted the legal frameworks of the university system in Nigeria, and the platform was opposed to the concept of university autonomy. They further argued that the platform has not captured the present peculiarities of the university system, even when the peculiarities are captured by law.
“On the false or libelious claim by the Federal Government that ASUU is endorsing corruption, we challenge the government to prove it to Nigerians.
“One of the legal ways of checking corruption in the universities is the setting up of the visitation panels every five years. The last time visitation took place in our universities was over 10 years ago. This union has been persistent in putting pressure on the government to set up visitation panels to the universities but the request has fallen on deaf ears.”
VANGUARD
