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The Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have applauded President Bola Tinubu on the removal of universities from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
The Federal Government introduced the IPPIS in 2006 as one of its reform initiatives for the effective storage of personnel records. The IPPIS initiative was expanded to include all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that draw personnel costs from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had in the past rejected the reform and had been at loggerheads with the government over the continuous use of IPPIS for the payment of university lecturers’ entitlements.
The approval for the removal was given by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at its meeting on Wednesday.
The Secretary-General of the committee, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, who spoke on the sideline of a one-day workshop for Advancement and Alumni Officers of Nigerian Universities, said the removal would birth a new university system.
“Universities in other parts of the world don’t depend on government funding like that, what government gives is a lump sum grant to these universities and universities in addition to those grants will look for resources elsewhere to fund their operations. This cannot happen overnight, you don’t wean the baby just like that, there is a transition period.
“So, autonomy is in the law establishing universities and the role of government is to co-fund universities by giving grants, supporting students to pay their tuition and encouraging endowments, so, this is a global practice,” he said.
The secretary general noted that the committee had an interface with the minister sometime in August on the challenges faced by Nigerian universities.
“When the CVC met with the Minister of Education in August, we told him very clearly that for IPPIS, it cannot exist within our Nigerian Universities systems, because the way their operations are calibrated, IPPIS cannot cope.
“This is because our system is very dynamic. In a system, there may be a need to hire one lecturer to teach one course or you may need to hire someone to teach for a session after which you are done with it, so the flexibility is dynamic.
“A lecturer who started lecture at the beginning of the semester may fall ill and may need to hire another to cover for the professor in any part of the semester. IPPIS does not accommodate this kind of flexibility that the system requires and that is why we said this thing is antithetical to the way universities are operated,” he said.
“We commend the minister for this feat because being a former vice chancellor, he understands the dynamics of how the system operates. You cannot say that you must get approval from the Head of Service before you appoint a cleaner, it doesn’t work that way. That has never been the system, so this is a major development for us in the university system and we applaud the minister for being able to convince the Federal Executive Council (FEC) of our cry,” he said.
On his part, NANS, the umbrella body of Nigerian students, said President Tinubu’s decision to amend the policy and exempt tertiary institutions is a testament to his understanding of challenges faced by these institutions.
According to its president, Mr Pedro Obi, the action showed Tinubu’s commitment to the progress and development of the education sector in Nigeria
“His decision to amend the IPPIS policy and exempt tertiary institutions is a testament to his understanding of the unique needs and challenges faced by these institutions. The removal of universities and other tertiary institutions from the IPPIS demonstrates President Tinubu’s dedication to ensuring the autonomy and effective administration of higher education institutions across the country.
“This move aligns with the aspirations of Nigerian students to have a robust and efficient education system that meets international standards,” he said.
The NANS boss acknowledged that the system had posed significant challenges to the smooth operation of tertiary institutions.
He noted that the rigid nature of the system hindered the flexibility required for universities to effectively manage their human resources and carry out essential functions such as prompt payment of salaries, allowances and research grants to academic staff.
“We commend President Tinubu for his proactive approach in addressing this issue. By granting universities and other tertiary institutions the freedom to manage their payroll systems, he has empowered them to streamline their processes and allocate resources more efficiently.
“This will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the quality of education provided to Nigerian students.
“NANS believes that this decision will foster an enabling environment for academic excellence, research, and innovation in our tertiary institutions.
“It will also encourage collaboration between the government and stakeholders in the education sector.”
