President of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Smart Olugbeko, has urged the federal government to also review the centralisation of payroll administration through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
Olugbeko stated this while hailing President Bola Tinubu for cancelling the policy directing tertiary institutions to remit 40 per cent of their Internally Generated Revenue to the national treasury, saying it shows he has listening ears.
Olugbeko lamented that the policy undermined the statutory functions of the Governing Councils, and breached the establishment integrity of the tertiary education sector in general and the Colleges of Education system in particular.
He said IPPIS had become a means of defrauding COEASU members as there were thousands of cases of short-payment, outright non-payment, unlawful delay and/or withholding of third-party deductions.
“We urge President Bola Tinubu to revisit the issue of IPPIS in the interest of justice and industrial harmony,” he said.
Speaking on the suspension of the 40% IGR, he said, “While we knew absolutely that the policy would not stand as we were poised to resist it with all legitimate powers we possess as a Trade Union in the sector, we must acknowledge the sense of good reason, listening disposition, democratic ethos and responsible leadership shown by Mr. President in suspending the policy without allowing the situation to degenerate into an unnecessary face-off between labour and Government.
“Of equal concern to our Union is the need to conclude the long overdue renegotiation of COEASU-FG 2010 agreement; upward review of the monthly running grant being given to the Managements of Colleges of Education and timely release of the fund; resolution of the issue of outsourced services particularly security and cleaning; and the implementation, without further delay, of the special bursary and grant to education students in Universities and Colleges of Education.”
