Enrolment for the IPPIS on Wednesday began in many federal universities across the country despite the opposition of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
Correspondent reports revealed that at the University of Jos, the Chairperson of the institution’s Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Mrs Esther Ezeamah, confirmed that the exercise started in the university on Wednesday.
She said that SSANU was in support of the IPPIS enrolment and that members of union had been directed to participate fully throughout the period of the exercise in line with the position of the national secretariat.
In Ilorin. ASUU Members of the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), University of Ilorin Chapter on Wednesday took part in the biometric data capturing of workers on the Integrated Personnel Payroll System (IPPIS) which commenced at the university.
The participation of the local ASUU members in the exercise was contrary to the directive of the national leadership of the union which asked its members not to enroll on the system.
But it was discovered at the venue of the ongoing exercise that both members of academic and non-academic staff were taking part in the exercise holding at the old Senate chamber of the university.
A member of the team from the Accountant General Office who pleaded anonymity said both academic and non-academic staff have been coming forward to enroll.
When asked whether academic staff were participating in the exercise, he said, “The first person that we attended to this morning is a lecturer he is a professor.
“So far, the exercise has been smooth. We have not had any labour issue. The university management has been cooperating. The exercise will last for two weeks”, he said
The management team from the University of Ilorin was also on the ground to identity their staff before issuing forms to them.
And at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapter on Wednesday resolved to write the management of the university to order the immediate withdrawal of the mobile police that accompanied the staff of the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS) from the university.
The resolution was reached at a congress of the union where it was agreed that the presence of any armed police or military personnel on the campus of the university is against the laws of the institution.
Non-teaching staff of the University of Nigeria Nsukka have started registering for the IPPIS while Members of the Academic Staff Union stayed away.
A source said that ASUU set up a monitoring team to ensure that none of its members participated in the exercise.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has received the nominal roll of about 41 universities as part of moves to capture university workers into the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System.
The Coordinator of IPPIS in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Olusegun Olufehinti, who confirmed the figure said the Federal Government was determined to ensure that all its employees were captured on the IPPIS platform.
Olufehinti said since the government did not employ any union, it was imperative for every employee of government to ensure they were captured on the personnel payroll platform.
The IPPIS coordinator said since the commencement of the enrolment for university workers, the rate of response had been encouraging.
He said, “From the report we are having currently, they (lecturers) are enrolling. The enrolment is just to take their biometrics because we have not got to payrolling. This is the first process. For now, we don’t have problems despite their tactics.