By Golok Nanmwa, Jos

Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), University of Jos Branch, has condemned what it termed the insecurity and lackadaisical attitude of the federal government in the issue of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) which has been causing misunderstanding between University lecturers and the government for months now.

Their position was contained in a press statement signed by the association Chairperson, Comrade Esther Ezeama, and the Secretary, Comrade Anthony Joro.

“The Branch Executives of our association recently met to x-ray happenings as it affects the welfare needs/future of our members and observed with utmost dismay the insincerity and lackadaisical attitude of Government as well as betrayal of trust to the Union’s National Administrative Committee in seeing that it does not confront headlong issues bedeviling members who are working relentlessly to protect Public Universities from being destroyed by the whims and caprices of corrupt Government Officials in the Offices of the Accountant General of the Federation and some persons at the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission who do not mean well for all workers of Nigerian Universities in the name of IPPIS.

“The deliberate delay on prompt payments of salaries since the advent of IPPIS and claims that they observed some irregularities after staff enrolment, is a complete ruse. We find this explanation unacceptable. The non-inclusion and outright removal of some allowances earlier enjoyed by our members such as Hazard, Responsibility, Shift duty, Call Duty and others from our monthly salaries is also painful. These allowances have now been removed from the components of staff salaries without any concrete explanation.

“The non- availability of pay advice as earlier agreed upon to enable members know what formed certain deductions from their salaries.The omission of some member’s bank such as, Access/Diamond Bank, FCMB and Micro Finance Banks, whose salaries are yet to be paid for over two months and still counting has brought unimaginable hardship on our members especially at this trying moment of COVID 19 pandemic.

“Also painful is the forceful implementation of deduction of National Housing Scheme (NHS) without the consensual approval of members negates the Core Principles of Financial Memorandum which requires the consent of salary owners before deductions are carried out on their salaries. While The deployment of a high tax regime without recourse to our right to fair hearing and negotiations is improper,” the statement partly read.

It further said the unexplainable NHIS deduction on staff salaries as applied by the IPPIS office is not only worrisome, but contravenes the NHIS ACT of 2005, adding that the lack of third party deductions like Cooperative, Union dues and other Welfare Schemes peculiar to Universities has been eroded completely by the IPPIS structure.

“We therefore reject IPPIS in its entirety and request that as a matter of urgency we should be reverted to GIFMIS, the platform that properly understands and accommodates the peculiarities of our members,” it added.

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IPPIS: UniJos Senior Staff Association Decries Govt Insincerity, Betrayal of Trust