Lecturers under the umbrella of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, have condemned the poor implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.
They registered their displeasure through their various institutions nationwide, on Tuesday, May 12, 2020.
The lecturers noted that the implementation of IPPIS has led to obnoxious taxes, third party deductions and non-payment of scholars on sabbatical leave.
COEASU, therefore, demanded that the IPPIS office and that of the Accountant General of the Federal, address the anomalies in the payment system. This will avert an industrial action by the lecturers.
Commenting on the situation, the President of the body, Nuhu Ogirima, said,
“The IPPIS had turned to be an exploitative tool to deduct taxes, without recourse to the negotiated tax which lecturers agreed with their respective state governments.”
He further complained of other issues such as reductions in salary and non-inclusion of lecturers on sabbatical leave.
“Members of our union had been opposed to the enrolment of the academic staff of colleges of education on the obnoxious pay platform, IPPIS, until December, 2019, when it was imposed. Quite a substantial development has occurred since the utilisation of the platform, to effect payment of salaries since February 2020.
“For instance, the non-payment of April 2020 salary, as at May 11, has been attributed to system failure. This does not augur well for the government,” he stated.
“Also, IPPIS is an exploitative tool. The deduction of obnoxious tax, without recourse to the negotiated tax our members had agreed upon with their respective state governments, is evident exploitation. Same reason can be adduced for the persistent deduction of members’ salary for the National Housing Fund, to which they did not subscribe.
“The OAGF has flagrantly refused to remit to the union the dues deducted since the utilisation of the pay platform to effect payment of salary of members. The non-remittance of our union dues, more than two months after its deduction by OAGF, also amounts to not only a breach of trust but a contravention of the law,” he added.
He, however, stated that if the challenges persist, the leadership of the union would not hesitate to take appropriate industrial decision towards redressing the situation.
