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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Federal Government has decided to use the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS) as a payment platform for salaries and entitlements of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The decision was announced in a circular released by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Didi Watson-Jack, to the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
GIFMIS, an IT-based system for budget management and accounting, was developed by the Federal Government to improve public expenditure management processes and enhance accountability and transparency across ministries and agencies. This development appears to contradict ASUU’s proposal for the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), a platform developed by its members for salary payments.
ASUU has consistently opposed the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and other government payment platforms, alleging that they are “fraudulent” and result in underpayment of its members.
The circular instructs institutions to conduct periodic biometric verification of all staff and return to the GIFMIS platform for effective and efficient management of financial systems. This platform is still in use for managing overhead, capital, and operational costs.
The circular further states: “This requires a prior pre-registration of all employees on the institutions’ payroll on the GIFMIS platform. Relevant schedule officers shall also be put in place to manage the GIFMIS system.”
It is important to note that President Tinubu previously approved the exemption of lecturers in federal universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and other tertiary institutions from the IPPIS. However, ASUU members claim that this directive has not been implemented.
