The Federal Government has agreed to pay the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on a different mode of payment other than the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment said this when addressing newsmen at the end of a closed door meeting with ASUU leadership on Friday in Abuja.
Ngige said that the government would look into the issue of “No-work-no-pay” sanctioned by the government with a view of approving the payment of the withheld salaries.
“The meeting has agreed that the mode of payment applied for the payment of those that had not been captured in the IPPIS platform between the month of February and June 2020 be adopted for the purpose of payment during this transition period.
“In addition, the meeting agreed that a suitable template that will address all the anomalies identified in the previous processes should be handled by the Accountant General of the Federation, Executive Secretary of NUC and the Accounting Officers (Vice Chancellors),” he said.
Ngige said government has agreed to ASUU demand to pay their members salary arrears from February to June using old salary payment platform, GIFIMS.
Ngige noted that the demand for the immediate payment of 50 per cent of the initial amount allotted for the purpose of revitalising public universities which translates to N110 billion, would not be feasible due to paucity of funds.
He said that the government has offered to pay N25 billion based on the Memorandum of Action (MOA) of February 7, 2019 signed with ASUU or in the alternative, urged ASUU to accept N30 billion with the reduction in the earlier on Earned Allowances.
He added that between the revitalization and Earned Allowances, the Federal Government has offered a cumulative sum of N65 billion.
He noted that on the issue of Earned Academic Allowances and Earned Allowances (EAA/EA), the Accountant General of the Federation has offered to immediately release N40 billion or in the alternative, N35 billion.
He said that this was to be shared by all the registered trade unions in the universities after providing necessary evidence of having earned the allowance.
“The Federal Government reiterated that her offer of N40 billion or N35 billion whichever is accepted by ASUU was for all University Unions.
“ASUU had proposed that N40 billion be paid immediately for all the Unions. Vice Chancellors are to submit details of the Earned Academic Allowances and Earned Allowances to the NUC on or before November 30,” he said.
The minister added that the meeting agreed the inauguration of the university Visitation panels will be carried out as soon as the institutions reopened while awaiting gazetting.
He therefore said that ASUU is expected to go and relay the latest proposals to it’s organs and revert to government so that the universities can reopen next week.
On his part, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, ASUU president said that the union has received the new proposals by the federal government and that it will go and consult with it’s organs before taking a position.
“I do not really have much to say as the minister had said it all.
“Government has given us offers and we have promised to go back to our organs to brief them and then come back to government. We acknowledge that progress has been made,” he said.
Ogunyemi said that ASUU will need till Friday next week to meet with its organs before reverting to government. The meeting was therefore adjourned till next week, Friday,”he said.
