For the umpteenth time, the House of Representatives’ leadership, spurred by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila last week began another intervention exercise, aimed at resolving the almost seven months strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU) over disagreements with the Federal Government. JOSHUA EGBODO writes on the discordance and uncertainties surrounding the engagements
A repeat intervention
The ongoing intervention by leadership of the House of Representatives in the lingering strike by ASUU would not be the first time Gbajabiamila is leading a resolution move. During the industrial action of the union before the ongoing, his intervention and engagement with key stakeholders of both parties largely contributed to the end of the rift.
Expanded engagement
This time, however, the Speaker in the opinion of followers of the developments, appeared to be more focused on seeing a semblance of permanence in the expected resolution, and for this purpose, he had extended invitation to all government agencies that had anything thing to do with the issues at stake.
At his first meeting with ASUU, and the Federal Ministry of Education on Tuesday 20th September, 2022, the Speaker made it clear that it was not time to beat about the issues, but finding solutions.
“We’re not here to rehearse the problems. We’re not to be asking what happened, or why are we where we are? We all know the issues, and we have to resolve the issues once and for all, for our children to go back to classes.
According to him, the way to resolving the issues was for both parties to shift grounds in the interest of the students, urging ASUU to make it known, its minimum acceptable conditions. “My interest of conversation is with the ASUU. Most people are with you. We’re with you”, the speaker stated, and appealed that emotions be put aside so that the needed solution could be arrived at.
Court confirms ASUU’s fears
At the opening of the meeting, ASUU through its National President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke accused the Federal Government of opting for punishment of its members, rather than addressing the issues that led to the strike action. He also drew attention of the House’s leadership to a pending court case instituted by the government with the intent to compel lecturers back to work, pointing out however that the move will be counterproductive.
He argued that if eventually his members are asked by the court to resume work, “what kind of teaching will they do? It is like forcing a medical doctor to go and treat a patient”, adding that it was erroneous to see the strike as the problem, because if the strike is called off without addressing the issues, the universities will become like public primary schools. “Instead of solving the problem, we’re being punished”, he had lamented.
True to his fears in the perception of analysts, the National Industrial Court before which the case was instituted, the following day ordered ASUU to call off its nationwide strike, pending the determination of a suit filed by the Federal Government. The government an application for an interlocutory injunction, seeking an order restraining ASUU from continuing with the strike.
On the ruling delivered by Justice Polycarp Hamman, the court restrained ASUU from continuing with the strike and ordered that the case file should be returned to the president of the Industrial Court for reassignment to another judge, as he is a vacation judge.
He further opined that the strike is detrimental to public university students who cannot afford to attend private tertiary institutions, and that the Trade Dispute Act mandate workers not to embark on strike from the moment an issue has been referred to it the Court. ASUU has filed an appeal, citing its grounds of doing so, leaving the strike still in force.
The issues, amidst fresh revelations
Speaker Gbajabiamila continued with the engagement last Thursday, as more revelations emerged. In continuation of the efforts alongside his deputy, Ahmed Idris Wase and other leaders of the House, he met with Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), Mrs Folashade Yemi-Esan, Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Mr. Ekpo Nta, among other government officials. The meeting was a follow up to that of Tuesday.
At Thursday’s meeting, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) revealed to the House’s leadership that the Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) and the University Peculiar Personnel and Payroll System (U3PS) failed its integrity tests regarding the university payroll, which the agency conducted between March and June this year. The use of as employees payment platform by the federal government had been one of the contending issues by ASSU, which later recommended the the other options.
NITDA’s Director Information technology and Infrastructure Solution, Usman Abdullahi told the House leadership that the IPPIS, UTAS and the University Peculiar Personnel and Payroll System (U3PS) all failed its integrity tests regarding the university payroll, which the agency conducted between March and June this year. He stated that the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami has advised his counterparts on the failed IPPIS payment platform, adding that Pantami, after the audit of various payment platforms directed NITDA to subject the three solutions to the tests.
“On the issue of advising government, NITDA is not in a position to advise government. Honourable Minister has been advising that this solution is a payment systems, particularly that are used by government have not gone through NITDA’s due diligence process. He (Minister) has been saying that and of course he has been mentioning that to his colleagues….”, he said. The official of NITDA explained that government directed the agency to test UTAS in October, 2020, and that the platform failed the two integrity tests conducted on it, adding that following the first test, ASUU was asked to go back and review, which it did, “yet, the platform did not meet NITDA’s requirements the second time”.
Curiously too, when the obviously not satisfied Speaker Gbajabiamila asked if NITDA as an agency, had at any time advised the government to take any action on the discovered lapses on IPPIS, which has been in application since 2011, the NITDA official said they were not in a position to do that. Gbajabiamila also asked if NITDA queried the IPPIS platform, to which the official responded in the negative. Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase also expressed reservations at NITDA’s handling of the matter, saying it ought to have advised the government on the appropriate action to take on the IPPIS, after discovering the lapses in the system.
The Head of Service in her submissions however explained that the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, had at a time written her office, following observations noted by NITDA on the IPPIS, suggesting a need to take a holistic review of the platform, after which she said a committee was raised for that purpose. She explained further that IPPIS is not just a payment platform, but also has a human resource component, which all government agencies have been directed to activate, noting that all departments directly under her supervision have fully complied.
A twist by the Accountant General
A fresh twist was up when Acting Accountant General of the Federation, Sylva Okolieaboh in obvious reference to ASUU’s insistence on the use University Tertiary and Accountability Solution (UTAS) for its members, posited that there should not be any circumstance under which employees dictate to their employers how they should be paid. The IPPIS, which the federal government currently use as payment platform is domiciled in the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
Unabated frauds
Even with the IPPIS in place, there had been reported incidences of frauds in the payment of workers, which pundits felt its adoption was yet to address the issues it was brought to cure. Referencing the recent discovery of thousands of payroll scams and other frauds even under the system, Gbajabiamila said “It means that the issues we had in the Accountant General’s office, it means that there is a problem with IPPIS itself otherwise, we wouldn’t have that quantum and humongous deficiency…”.
Will the intervention pay?
With the plethora of issues occasioned by the ongoing intervention by the House of Representatives, many are doubting the possibility of same producing the positive outcome as was the case in the past. More worrisome to many was a directive, through the National Universities Commission (NUC) that Vice Chancellors of the federal government-owned universities reopen the institutions, and commence lectures. A dramatic turn was to come later that President Muhammadu Buhari has directed a hold back on the directive.
And as it appeared from the last engagement of Speaker Gbajabiamila and his colleagues, another meeting will be holding this week, as the Minister of Labour and productivity, Chris Ngige, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Accountant General of the Federation, Director General, salaries, income and wages commission, Director General of the Budget Office among others, have been named as invitees to the expected meeting.
But between the House of Representatives’ running intervention, and the pending Federal Government’s instituted court case, which ASUU has appealed, there have been questions on which may yield the much needed resolution, which only time can provide answers to.
