AGF frustrating our members, ASUU declares

The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, has disclosed that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation is frustrating members of the group due to discrediting the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

Ogunyemi, in an interview with Top Naija, appealed to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation not to create another plight in Nigerian universities.

ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi

He declared that the union, on Thursday, would meet with the Federal Government.

The National President of ASUU further said, “A substantial number of our membership are unduly denied their earned salaries and subjected to indescribable level of hardship. So, we call on all well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the Accountant-General of the Federation not to precipitate another round of crisis in our universities.

“The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation has defaulted in releasing the withheld check-off deductions. It has also failed to pay the withheld salaries of some of our members in many universities.

“Our Memorandum of Action stipulates that government will continue to pay the salaries of our members pending the validation of UTAS by NITAD. But the IPPIS agents have intensified efforts to manipulate, cajole and coerce our members to enroll in IPPIS by denying them their salaries for periods ranging from four to 12 months.

“This reinforces our suspicion that the OAGF is surreptitiously working to scuttle the adoption of UTAS, to which government has been committed. We have complained to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who facilitated the whole process that culminated in December 2020 ASUU-FGN MoA.”

While replying to the claim, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, via its representative, Henshaw Ogubike, stated that it was unaware of allegations by ASUU that the OAGF was not remitting deducted funds and was violating the no-work-no-pay agreement, and also not paying over 100 new staff.

Ogubike said, “We have been attacked by different branches of the union and there seem not to be a unified front. Maybe other ministries such as labour or education could know about it.”