UNIVERSITIES ACADEMIC STAFF ALLEGES VICE CHANCELLORS OF RUNNING ERRANDS FOR GOVERNMENT

The Chairman lamented that, the Vice Chancellors that were to be in the side of the lectures ‘are now errand boys of the government, pointing out that, “the Universities Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Act 2003, provides in section 2AA and inter alia, the 1992 Act establishing, for example the Federal Universities of Agriculture Section 8 (1 and 4) provided make it clear that although government has control over budgets of universities the responsibility of dispensing finance is vested, by law, in respective university councils that employed the staff.

“Our union is appalled that Government losing sight of the provisions of the law, reeled out the  ill- advised Presidential directive that all employees of Federal Government in MDAs should enroll on IPPIS by October failure of which erring MDA’s will be denied due emoluments. Our union has no reason to believe that the President of the Federal republic will flagrantly act against the law, which he vowed to uphold in his oath of office’. 

“IPPIS contravenes the ASUU-FGN Agreements of 1992, 2001 and 2009:  paragraph 5.10, 1992 ASUU-FGN Agreement states thus: “the Universities should be allowed to operate in compliance with their enabling laws, statutes, rules and regulations in conformity with due process and within the laws of the land”.

‘Similarly, item iv of the 2001 agreement with government, while stressing the Powers of University Council reiterated that: “Circulars from ministries SHALL be deemed invalid to the extent that they are inconsistent with the Laws and Regulations of the Universities and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”. Then in the 2009 ASUU/ FGN agreement on page 25 states in absolute terms that “Each University SHALL ARRANGE its own cost saving measures.

“IPPIS is too rigid a platform that discountenances the peculiarities of the University System in the sacred areas of replacement or recruitment of academics, mobility of academic staff for visiting, adjunct, part time and sabbatical offers’.

‘Not only these, academics are chopped off the platform at the age of 60 thereby creating bottle necks in the collection of salaries and emoluments because once the name of  a staff is removed such a victim will continue to frequent Abuja until it is rectified. The victim not only abandons his duty post, but faces the hazards on the Nigerian roads among others. The platform also does not capture the Earned Academic Allowances and remunerations due to academics who retire before the age of 65 and promotion arrears. The platform also does not capture the Earned Academic Allowances and remunerations due to academics who retire before the age of 65 and promotion arrears’.