The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU says it finds it necessary to correct the wrong impression created by a section of the media that the meeting of the Union with President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, 9th January, 2020 was called solely to discuss the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS which the Union rejected, and still rejects, for sound reasons.
In a press release, ASUU says it believes that engagement with the leadership of Nigeria by the academic community should be a seamless process and before the last visit to the State House, ASUU had previously engaged former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa YarAdua and Goodluck Jonathan at various times respectively.
ASUU said such visits afforded the Union opportunities to put across the perspectives of Nigerian academics on what role education should play in addressing national challenges.
According to the university teachers, the meeting of ASUU with President Buhari on 9th January 2020 was conceived in the broad context of education and national development within the Triple Helix principles as established in China, Singapore, Malaysia, among other emerging economic powers.
ASUU said the meeting was called in response to the Union’s request as conveyed in its letter of 21st October 2019. It says the letter specifically outlined three issues for discussion, which are as follows;
ASUU’s position on the violation of Universities’ Autonomy Law (Universities Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Act 2003, Laws of the respective universities and Agreements with ASUU as it relates to the planned forceful enrolment of academics in Federal Universities on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS.
Secondly, The 7th February 2019 FGN-ASUU Memorandum of Action and implications of its nonimplementation.
And thirdly, ASUU’s Proposal for Sustainable Funding of Education.
The statement said it is perhaps understandable that the media and some sections of the public have focused more attention on the IPPIS because it appears “topical” or “trending’.
However, ASUU has always argued that the IPPIS crisis cannot be resolved without paying due attention to the foundational issues of autonomy and academic freedom, collective bargaining agreements, CBAs, and sustainable funding of education for the transformation of Nigeria.
The ASUU statement signed by its President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi says for the avoidance of doubt, ASUU made six clear prayers at the meeting with President Buhari which included the renegotiation of 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, IPPIS among others
