sinkhole: The media has been inundated with speculations on imminent strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the face-off between members of the union and the Federal Government for their refusal to register on Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the new platform for the payment of Federal civil servants’ salaries.
*Very much like the Nigerian Armed Forces, Judiciary, National Assembly, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), among others, Nigerian university lecturers are not federal civil servants in the strict sense of the word.*
ASUU National president, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, recently declared the outright rejection of the IPPIS platform by members of the union at a press conference on 11th December 2019, after the union’s National Executive committee (NEC) meeting held at the Federal University of Technology, Minna between 7th and 8th December 2019. The following are ten reasons why ASUU has rejected the IPPIS:
*1. Emasculation of University Councils.* The ultimate authority put in place for the smooth running of a university is the university council. With the IPPIS, the body becomes severely marginalised and rendered as powerless as a toothless bulldog.
*2. Violation of world best practices on university autonomy.* Lecturers are of the opinion that surrendering the micro-management of individual staff salaries to an external body instead of the university bursar is a flagrant violation of university autonomy. With this system, dissident or compliant lecturers can be singled out for reward or sanction without the input of the university where they serve.
*3. A breach of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement.* The new platform is seen as a crude attempt to undermine the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement about the welfare of university lecturers. Lecturers appear to be in agreement that this must not be allowed to happen.
*4. Tactful reneging on the FG/ASUU agreement on the payment of earned academic allowances (EAA).* There has been a long running battle between the FG and ASUU since the days of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Minister of Finance on the payment of earned academic allowances (EAA) to the lecturers. Up till now, Nigerian lecturers are still being owed several years backlog of unpaid EAA. With the IPPIS, such arrears together with its expected incorporation into the lecturers’ salary structure will become history.
*5. Loss of remuneration for visiting lecturers for academic services.* From time immemorial, universities worldwide have a culture of encouraging intellectual rubbing of minds, whereby experienced academics visit other universities as visiting lecturers, external examiners, collaborative research and more. This global best practice is anathema to IPPIS; hence the remuneration of visiting lecturers and other researchers in this category is not captured on its rigid platform.
*6. It is unduly expensive.* A major reason why ASUU is not in support of the IPPIS is that it sees it as a glorified scam. The union recently alleged that the FG is planning to pay contractors handling the project up to N2 Billion if all academic and non-teaching staff members are enrolled. This figure was arrived at by multiplying the contractors’ charge of N16,000 per person per month with the total number of federal university workers.
*7. Fears that lecturers above 65 years old will not be captured.* The normal retirement age for regular civil servants is 65, but a special dispensation has been granted lecturers in the professorial cadre to retire at 70. This agreement was reached a few years back in accordance with global best practices. This fear by ASUU is real as the FG has not responded satisfactorily to put the worries of the lecturers to rest.
*8. Higher taxes. To help arrest the incessant brain drain* whereby Nigerian academics migrate in droves because they too often get better offers abroad, their annual income taxes are jointly negotiated between the unions and the tax authorities. It is a well known fact that workers already on the IPPIS pay higher taxes than they previously paid. Lecturers are not happy to be overtaxed for substandard or non-existent public utilities and municipal services.
*9. Fears on non-payment of salary arrears arising from delays in processing promotions.* The system of promotion in universities is such that the internal and external procedures are lengthy and cumbersome. In some universities like Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, it could takes up to five or more years before the announcement of a person’s promotion into the professorial cadre. It is widely believed that the IPPIS does not have provision for the payment of such salary arrears.
*10. Serious infractions arising from errors, shortfalls and non-payment of salaries.* There is ample evidence from the experience of institutions already on the platform that errors in the system often manifest in the form of shortfalls or non-payment of staff salaries. The experience of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital in which the November 2019 salaries of staff members were unpaid is instructive on this matter. Unlike in the past when payment errors are corrected locally, there are reports that affected staff members on the IPPIS have to visit Abuja personally to get payment errors rectified.
To be fair to ASUU, some of the issues raised above can be negotiated and factored on to a platform managed by the National Universities Commission (NUC), but the dictatorial arrogance with which the FG is dealing with the union does not augur well for the intellectual health of the country. The FG needs to come down from its high horse and allow universities to manage its finances in line with global best practices if it truly desires the advancement of this country.
Stevecovey: The self acclaimed billionaire Gucci master, Ray hushpuppi went on an open tirade against singer Timaya for dissing celebs wearing fake designers.
He made a post and video dissing Timaya (and his mama) for being an hypocrite because he is the no1 celeb who wears fake designers. He says Timaya sang a song 3years ago to diss him because hushpuppi called him out on his fake wristwatch.
Video translation: (God save ur mama say u quickly drop dt topic) (God save ur mama, we for drag ur mama for floor, since u think ur mad) (You want to use people catch cruise when people like us dey here) (Wizzy, Davido, dbanj sef wey dey wear original designers for industry no talk) (Na you unfortunate soul dey talk, we for quickly drag u for floor, tell dem make dem dirty ur mama)
freecocoa: You just want to be the typical amebo and judgemental person that most people are, otherwise you have no business asking this type of question.
God bless you. And it is today the deal day that he is posting it.
mikezuruki: you made a whole lot of sense. Thanks.
I am particular about his parents giving their blessings. I have told him. We have been telling ourselves as friends the truth no matter the situation.
Going ahead without parents consent and blessings is wrong
Like someone earlier said if you are contemplating you are never a friend from the beginning cos friend is deeper.
Acidosis: If you think it is wrong to be engaged without the consent of both parents, then advise your friend in your own little way and let him know your principle.
Your principle and view about life should be prioritize above any friendship.
What yeye principle. Parental consent is for toddlers while marriage is between 2 consenting adults in the presence of witnesses. These days that expired parent will be the one tormenting the life of their children. A word is enough.
Unique357: In brief, I am a male married with 2 children, my daughter is 8 and son is 5. I also have my niece 11 and a house help 15 staying with us.
On Monday I gave my wife Christmas shopping money to get foodstuffs, hers and children clothing including our house help.
Yesterday my wife went shopping, she bought clothes for herself, our children and nothing for the house help. She claimed that the girl doesn’t need any clothes for Christmas as long we feed and send her to school, the rest is her parents' duties. The girl in question is my wife's relative from the same village. This girl is so nice to our children, she is like a second mother to them despite her being just 15, I have never had any problem with her.
I was mad at her that I told her, if she cannot treat another woman's child well then she doesn’t deserve to be a mother, yes I did said some harsh words to her because of anger. She accused me of sleeping with the little girl which I told her she is mad and she couldn’t stop crying the whole night. This morning she didn’t make my breakfast and refused greeting me back.
Please house let me know if I overreacted
For me o.... The girl is maid would you prefer that your own daughter is the maid All your accolade of the girl is right and you never said anything harsh, now you know you married a devil who thinks her status is by her prowess and look down on other. Please for the sake of your generation born and unborn send the girl back gently with better package exclusively from you, then let your wife resume her duty fully and if domestic staff is required employ professional and pay the fee let see if your wife can pay 100k or more.
chival: He probably doesn't have the funds to rent a new apartment yet. He'll leave eventually. Home owners should learn to have compassion for their tenants. The state of affairs in the country is causing millions to suffer untold hardship.
Average inheritors is wicked and the state does not care about her citizens.
Please, I need your advice on one wicked stubborn tenant. My family gave this our tenant a quick notice since February this year 2019. As a matter of fact, the tenant and our family went to Lagos Arbitration and Mediation Centre. It was at the Mediation Centre that we both reached an agreement that he should leave our apartment.
So, we gave him 6 months quit notice in February, 2019. His previous house rent elapsed that same February, 2019. So, for the 6 months quit notice we gave him, he didn't pay any money. He actually said he would need 6 months to search for another apartment at that meeting we had with him at the Mediation Centre in February. So, we gave him the 6 months for free.
The 6 months we gave him elapsed at the end of August, 2019. When the 6 months elapsed, he refused to vacate the apartment. So, my family went back to the Lagos Mediation Centre to complain. The Mediation Centre sent him (the tenant) a letter giving him 7 days ultimatum to vacate the apartment. At the end of the 7 days, this man refused to leave. My family complained again to the Mediation Centre and they said they would look into it.
After another 3 months again by last November, 2019, this tenant refused to leave the apartment. My family went back again to the Lagos Mediation Centre and one of the officials there said "So, the man has not left the house since?". We responded yes. At the Mediation Centre there, they said something like they are incapacitated by the law to take any action.
This is December now going to an end. The tenant is still in the house. He has refused to vacate the apartment. It's about 10 months now living in our apartment without any payment. He has refused to leave.
The apartment is a 2 bedroom flat in Aguda Surulere, Lagos. The tenant's name is Mr Chigozie Okongwu James.
We don't want to take law into our hands as it seems there is no solution to the problem through the Lagos Mediation Centre. It's about 10 months now!
What can my family do to get the man ejected from the apartment? Your advice are welcomed.
Property tenancy is a legal matter but the so called landlord are only after money hence this kind of issue and to be honest with you shelter issue is beyond any other transactions so if the tenant earned the quit then do the normal thing prescribed by the law via the law not just the other way. My humble submission.
Freethought: Good afternoon nairalanders, a couple of weeks ago, i came here to seek advice on how to handle knowing my wife to be is AS as i also am. A lot of people here said we should just break up that the marriage won't end well for us.
We both listened to your advices and decided to call off the wedding but now we can't seem to stay away from each other. I tried severally to not see her and I'm sure she also tried not to see me but most times we just found ourselves together having sex again.
I think about her almost every time so i told her to stop calling me, at least to get her off of my mind. But she may just call simply to say hello and from dere we are having sex again.
The sex we keep having is my problem as i fear the SS problem we were trying to prevent by calling off the wedding may now come this time.
She's irresistible and i don't know how to go about this whole thing. Please kindly advice accordingly if you've gone through this before. I really need to get over her and stop having sex with her.
Thank you
Marry your chance of as is 1in 3 and with medical advancement God crowning it all.
RiyadhGoddess: They can do this shit with the christians because our God is merciful, loving and slow to anger but they also forget the fact that he's also a consuming fire!
jaszplus12: You know most of us love drama. Therefore knowing that the best way to portray the event is to use the word bullet. I'm sure she doesn't even know what pellets are. Make we jus sympathize with her! At least she has seen something about life and death maybe it will help her understand life better!
She stage it to trend if not she wouldn be the one talking. Not even if it's a USA specialist hospital.
defxon: Why not just return the said money and Dave yourself all these embarrasment
He thought about it since he said terminate the contract and they did hmm bad publicity that's just normal then he thought again make news the bigger and common way #NPF#APC#socialmediatrial. #ducanmighty@trend!
Xisnin: They neither work nor live with her. They are opportunistic criminals who happen to be employed by the estate management. The only offense this woman committed was being too friendly with strangers.
And you are blind to the racist and inhumane comment.
Education › Re: IPPIS: Ten Reasons Why Lecturers Did Not Register On The IPPIS Platform by Advancedman(m): 11:00am On Dec 23, 2019
