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From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has restated the decision of the federal government to exempt universities from the Integrated Personnel Payroll System (IPPIS).
The federal government had through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris announced on 13th December 2023, the Federal Executive Council’s decision to exempt universities and polytechnics from the contentious enrolment into IPPIS.
Surprisingly since then, university staff members still receive their salaries through IPPIS, an action the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) condemned recently accusing a cabal benefiting from the system as the people behind the continuous method.
But speaking while delivering the visitors address during the 18th Convocation of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, on Friday, President Tinubu represented by Rakiya Iliyasu , Director of Tertiary Education who also represented the Minister of Education said that the decision to exempt universities from IPPIS was taken based on the promise of Mr. President to give universities a new lease of life and in recognition of the peculiarities in the universities.
While promising that the federal government will continue to support all research efforts geared towards making the country economically viable and sustainable, President Tinubu challenged universities to continue to emphasise on training in entrepreneurship to ensure that graduates become job creators instead of perennial job seekers.
“I have no doubt that the Nigerian universities are very much able to find lasting solution to problems faced by the country. To actualise the Renewed Hope Agenda, government needs cooperation from its universities, greater transparency in managing their affairs, more commitment to research and publications for which government is providing financial and other resources through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund TETfund and Needs Assessment Intervention Funds”.
The president also stated that the federal government has through the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment inaugurated the Labour Employment Enhancement Programme (LEEP), which is designed to create 10 million jobs.
He said that the programme will create average of 2.5 million jobs annually for the next four years.
“This programme aims to train and equip young Nigerians with the necessary tools and opportunities for employment, importantly self – employment, through the strategies of digital skills initiative, vocational entrepreneurial skills programme, infrastructure upgrade and the national electronic labour exchange” he said .
The outgoing Vice Chancellor of the university. Prof Charles Esimone said that he is leaving office a fulfilled person because he was able to meet almost all his promises as the VC. He said he has raised the bar of the university in academics, research, morals and discipline even as he disclosed that projects attracted under his administration to the university is estimated conservatively at over N60 billion naira.
Chancellor of the university, His Majesty Da Jaob Gyang Buba CFR, Gbong Gwon Jos commended the outgoing Vice Chancellor for uprightness in piloting the affairs of the university for five years. According to him, Esimone had done well in the institution’s management and prayed that his successor will follows suit.
7901 graduands received their first degree certificates, 96 graduands for Post Graduate Diplomas , 391 for Masters Degree while 251 were for Doctorate Degrees.
The university also honoured three distinguished personalities with Honorary Doctorate degrees.
