Richard Ginika Izuora
The federal government has agreed to settle salaries of lecturers in federal universities withheld for the months of February and March.
The lecturers inlude those who are yet to register in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige made this disclosure in a statement issued by his new media aide, Emmanuel Nzomiwu.
Ngige said president Muhammadu Buhari also directed the Minister of Finance, Budget and Planning, and the Accountant General of the Federation; to effect the payment urgently to cushion the deleterious effects of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on lecturers; as well as members of their family.
The Minister added that all the Vice Chancellors were asked to revalidate the affected lecturers Bank Verification Numbers (BVN); and forward to the Accountant General of the Federation for the payments.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government had directed all federal tertiary institutions; in the country to enroll in the IPPIS from February 2020.
The Federal Government as well as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on Thursday, March 12; reached an interim agreement to integrate the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
They reached decision in a bid to ensure ASUU ends the strike which commenced on Monday.
The IPPIS serves as the government’s accountability software made compulsory for all public institutions; mainly for personnel payroll.
ASUU opposed the use of IPPIS for lecturers; saying it does not consider some of the peculiar operations of universities.
The lecturers’ union then developed its own UTAS which it wants the government to adopt for universities.
