FG, ASUU agree to integrate UTAS and IPPIS

The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Thursday night reached an agreeement on the conflicting issue of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) and the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

The two parties agreed to integrate the two platforms. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, disclosed this after about four hours of technical engagement between both parties.

He said the two parties will reconvene on Monday after the union deliberates with it’s National Executive Council, NEC.

The President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, who concurred with the Minister, said the  National Executive Committee of the union will review the conditions for the integration of UTAS into IPPIS . Senator Ngige said:

“I am pleased to inform you that with the four ministers and Permanent Secretaries, Accountant General of the Federation and Directors, Acting Chairman, National Income and Wages Commission and ASUU Presidents and executive …we had very, fulfilling discussions.

“Where necessary, we debate, put forward our points  and the union also. Issues we discussed we used the memorandum of action which we entered into in February 2019 to look at issues that are outstanding, issues that have not been fully addressed.

“Both sides were satisfied that we made reasonable progress in addressing the few issues that have not been fully treated. Therefore, we move to the next round of a new contentious issue, which is the issue bordering on the non-capturing of some ASUU members on the IPPIS platform, which resulted in withholding of salaries and allowances of most ASUU members, those who did not come  under the platform and even some other university non-academic  staff members.

“Discussions were open and both sides realized that we are working for our country and that whatever arrangement we put in place would be for a better Nigeria. ASUU  has developed UTAS, and we have had some preliminary agreements  on what is to be done to accommodate the two systems. ” ASUU has now to get back to their members, consult the executive committee first  and all their members so that they  can agree on the modus operandi of trying to integrate the two systems. ”

In that respect, we are continuing discussions.  So the meeting is adjourned till Monday, or Tuesday, pending when ASUU is ready for us, we have made progress. We thank the legislature for … earlier on this morning. Our meeting will also helped us to smoothen some rough areas.”

ASUU President said, ” From our own side, we would say that we had a frank session, frank engagement and issues were thrown up. “Those issues like the minister rightly mentioned came from outstanding issues in the February 2019 Memorandum of Action which has tended to be overshadowed by IPPIS. ” From the discussion we had, we agreed that we will go and consult that the proposals that came up we cannot pronounce on them until we consult with our members.”