The Federal Government says its insistence on members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) producing their Bank Verification Number (BVN) for the payment of their withheld two months will expose those with multiple jobs.

ASUU members, who are currently on an indefinite strike, on Wednesday rejected the demand by the Federal Government to produce their BVN before the payment of their February and March salaries.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday approved the payment of the withheld two months salaries of ASUU members who refused to enrol on the Integrated Payment Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

In a swift reaction, ASUU explained that the Federal Government does not require lecturers’ BVN to pay the two months withheld salaries.

The Federal Government through the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Sonny Echono told Daily Sun that the affected ASUU members were not asked to enrol in the IPPIS before being paid their February and March salaries.

Echono explained that the affected lecturers were only asked to provide their BVN to their vice-chancellors, adding ”truth is finally coming out. Why are they afraid of BVN? Because all payments to a single lecturer through multiple accounts with different universities will be linked and traced through BVN.

“Those working in three, four or five universities and still claiming allowances for excess workload in their parent university will be exposed. This is the crux of the matter. It is about transparency and accountability period. Ask them about moonlighting by their members and draw your own conclusions.”

ASUU Lagos Zone Coordinator Prof Olusiji Sowande confirmed that VCs of the concerned federal universities were directed to collect BVN from ASUU members who have not been paid the February and March.

According to him, the salaries of lecturers in federal universities are usually paid without BVN and he wondered why the government is demanding for it, stating that the intention is to gather information about lecturers that rejected the IPPIS.

Some of the vice-chancellors confirmed to our correspondent the directive to demand lecturers’ BVN and also acknowledged the opposition of ASUU to the use of BVN to pay the withheld two months’ salaries.

ASUU University of Lagos chapter in a circular to members said information from some branches indicated that the payment is conditioned upon filling of IPPIS form and submission of BVN.

“Our union’s opposition to the obnoxious and retrogressive IPPIS enrollment for which we have been vindicated still stands. While thanking our members for being resolute and steadfast in the struggle for a better public university system in Nigeria, please, be rest assured that sooner than later all our outstanding salaries would be paid without any encumbrance,” Dr Dele Ashiru, ASUU UNILAG added.

michoim:
If ASUU is sincere they should release their BVN. Are they different from the rest of other Nigerians? What are they feeling like? Who are they by the way? They should be thought some hard lessons...

zionmde:
Lecturers are under FG
they should heed to their employers and submit their BVN
afterall FG can still get it without their permission

GamalNasser:
There is something sinister those lecturers are hiding because i don't see the big deal in submitting BVN for payroll purposes..Well what's even stopping the govt from getting their BVN through bank account , they don't even need to have asked the lecturers for it

ejibaba:


Exactly the point... Government has it why ask them to submit? Pally, they are not ready to pay...The so called multiple salaries are sabbaticals and adjunct positions, which is normal within the university system globally...why is it a problem in Nigeria...Excess workload is for teaching more than 30 students and that's in your school not other schools

Nukilia:
Lecturers don suffer!

Quota system folks are teaching them common sense

kokoA:
Lecturers be complaining of excess workload in their primary place of work yet they work in multiple universities.. I don gerrit mehn.. They want government to be paying them for excess workloads in multiple universities.. Haba!

GreenKalada:
The bastard lecturers should forward their BVN. Thief's all they k ow is to collect sorting from students... Useless fools

Azmanaty:

Their suffering never even start.. They think they are smart abi?

omonnakoda:
We make one mistake in Nigeria .
We assume government is not subject to law or if government does or says something it has become law.

The issue here is between employer and employee. It makes no difference that the employer is goverment.
The relationship is governed by THE SAME LAWS that govern all such relationships whether the employer is goverment or MTN unless specific legislation exists to state otherwise