SSANU kicks against IPPIS over ‘irregularities’ in February salaries

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has asked the federal government to revert its members to the former payroll system over what it termed irregularities with the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

Salaam Olayiwola, SSANU’s national public relations officer, addressed journalists on Monday as regards the union’s experience with the IPPIS ⁠—⁠ weeks after it had agreed to enroll in the payroll system in tandem with the federal government’s directive.

According to NAN, he said it was “shocking” that their first taste of the platform was “totally different” from what was promised — despite assurances by the government with regard to addressing the grey areas it had earlier identified.

While accusing the government of breach of trust, Olayiwola said that SSANU members are “groaning from the anomalies” witnessed in their salaries in a development that caused them “great hardships” they never bargained.

“This is totally unacceptable! The recent development has shown, despite our attempts to test otherwise, that the government can never be trusted,” he said.

“We had keyed into IPPIS with an understanding that all the peculiarities in the university system, particularly pertaining to our members, would be addressed ⁠— especially the issues of allowances, appointments, increments, and third party deductions among others.

“We do not blame our lecturer counterparts, ASUU, for resisting the IPPIS from the beginning. We demand that the accountant-general of the federation reverts us to the GIFMIS platform, which was working seamlessly before IPPIS was introduced.”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had earlier refused to enroll in IPPIS, proposing an alternative software named the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).

In the wake of the union’s two-week warning strike, the government had agreed to merge ASUU’s UTAS with IPPIS in a truce pact.

While charging the federal government to address the inconsistencies in members’ payments, SSANU warned that any imminent UTAS-IPPIS merger will be rejected if it fails to rectify issues that have long been raised.

“If UTAS is a general university payment platform, we must be guaranteed that it accommodates the peculiar needs and challenges of the non-teaching staff in the system,” Olayiwola said.

“If this is not guaranteed, the hybrid application shall be rejected in totality by our members. We demand that FG looks into the anomalies witnessed in the February payments through IPPIS.”