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Uche Usim, Abuja
The faceoff between the Federal Government and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) over the implementation of the controversial Independent Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) may lead to a fresh round of petroleum products scarcity with the Union ordering its members nationwide to shutdown.
The government had stopped the payment of salaries of its workers not captured on the IPPIS electronic platform, including PENGASSAN members.
The Union in a memo, said it had earlier reached an agreement with the government to pay the outstanding salaries while the IPPIS dialogue continues but regretted nothing concrete has come out of it.
Consequently, PENGASSAN, through its General Secretary, Mr Lumumba Okugbawa, has directed all its branch chairmen across the country to withdraw their services from 12 midnight of November 8, 2020.
In the letter which read in part: “We refer to the above letter dated November 2, 2020 where we gave a 7-day ultimatum and further extension to the relevant government agencies and institutions. Regrettably and upon expiration of the ultimatum, nothing concrete has been done with regard to outstanding issues as enumerated in our letter.
The Union had in September staged a peaceful protest at the entrance of the Federal Ministry of Finance demanding the government to pay outstanding salaries of its members suspended by the government.
Already the latest strike threat has led to panic buying of products as motorists rushed to fuel stations to fill up the tanks of their vehicles and jerry cans.
IPPIS was created as a waste plugging mechanism to enable the government run a lower and more efficient wage bill.
Managed by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, all government workers are to be mandatorily enrolled on it or have their salary payment halted. The government further went ahead to withhold salaries of those that are yet to enroll on IPPIS including PENGASSAN members under it’s payroll.
The Union urged itsbranch chairmen to “ensure that branch members fully comply with the directive while awaiting further directive,’ General Secretary, Okugbawa added.
The Federal Government is also embroiled in another war with the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) over IPPIS.
