TECHDIGEST – The rejection of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) as a payment platform for university workers took another dimension on Tuesday as the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) presented its preferred payment platform to the minister of education, Adamu Adamu.

Tagged “University Peculiar Payroll and Payment System (U3PS),” JAC, comprising the representatives of SSANU and NASU, said IPPIS has been found to be inconsistent with the peculiarities of the university system.

Speaking at the meeting on Tuesday, the permanent secretary at the ministry of education, Andrew Adejo, said the ministry of labour and employment had, at a meeting in October, 2020, agreed to the presentation of JAC’s preferred payment system.

“About some time last month, we got a letter from the (ministry of) labour forwarding it to us (the ministry of education) to take the necessary action. So we met last week and computed it and this is the formal presentation,” Mr Adejo said.

U3PS

Presenting the U3PS, the general Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi, said it grants the universities the autonomy of preparing their payroll that is consistent with the peculiarities of the system.

He said the union had keyed into the IPPIS for the first few months before it was prompted to create U3PS due to the inconsistencies involved in the IPPIS.

He said: “Since the government said IPPIS was going to be used to fight corruption, we should join hands with the government to give IPPIS a trial and we went into IPPIS.

“But from the first month to second, third and fourth month or thereabout, it was full of inconsistencies. Avalanche of inconsistencies. So much that our members could no longer bear it and they were on our nerves.

“And we look within and among us and we realised that we have technical and ICT experts that can help us to develop an alternative to IPPIS which we called the University Peculiar Payroll and Payment System (U3PS) where we believe that all the inconsistencies in the IPPIS will be resolved.”

Mr Adeyemi added that the U3PS was developed “in such a way that will accommodate all the stakeholders in the university system; be it academics, non teaching staff, or academic technologists.”

Minister speaks

Speaking, the minister of education said he was impressed with the platform and wondered why the unions did not develop it before the introduction of IPPIS.

Mr Adamu urged the unions to document the inconsistencies involved with the IPPIS to help bring to the government’s attention.

He said: “I would like to congratulate you for this thing that you have done. I congratulate Nigerian intellectuals who could do this, because I believe IPPIS is being paid large amounts of money to experts who are foreigners.

“So, we have experts in our higher institutions who could do this. I don’t even know why they never did it before.

“I would like to call on you. The inconsistencies that you say we have in the IPPIS which are many, please articulate them, because there is a need for us to know how things went wrong.

“I am sure when IPPIS started, it was working very well. But now everybody is complaining including those who are running it”.

The minister also directed the union to make the same presentation to the minister of finance and the accountant general of the federation “so that it can be subjected to tests by NITDA.”

“I hope you are up to the task and you can defend yourself. But I believe NITDA will be waiting for you,” he said.

NITDA absent

Meanwhile, the representatives of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) were absent at Tuesday’s meeting.

NITDA is the government agency saddled with the responsibility of “creating a framework for the planning, research, development, standardisation, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of information technology practices in Nigeria.”

It is expected to subject the new application to rigorous tests before it could be approved for deployment.

During the meeting, the permanent secretary at the education ministry said an invite was sent to NITDA, but he didn’t know why its representatives were absent.

However, Hadiza Umar, NITDA’S head of corporate affairs and external relations told PREMIUM TIMES that she was unaware of the invitation. She promised to make enquiries and provide a reply. But she was yet to provide a response as of the time of filing this report.

Source : Premium Times

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TECHDIGEST – The tenure of the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, will end tomorrow.

The tenures of 13 other agencies and corporations under the Federal Ministry of Education will also lapse on the same day.

The heads of the agencies will stop reporting for duty as from today, being the last day of work, after serving for four to five years. The affected officials are eligible for reappointment for a second term as may be deemed fit by President Muhammadu Buhari.

But there was no official announcement or statement on their fate last night.

Other Education sector’s chief executives whose positions would be vacant include Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC); Dr. Hameed Boboyi, Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC); Prof. Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe, National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB).

Others are: Prof. Sunday Ajiboye, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN); Afolabi Aderinto, Computer Registration Council of Nigeria (CRCN); Prof. Garba Dahuwa Azare, National Teachers Institute (NTI); and Prof. Michael Afolabi, Librarian Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN).

Also affected are: Prof. Steven Ejugwu Onah, National Mathematical Centre, Shedda; Prof. Chinyere Ohiri-Aniche, National Institute of Nigerian Languages; Prof. Lillian Salami, Nigerian Institute for Educational Planning and administration; Prof. Lanre Aina, National Library of Nigeria; Prof. Abba Haladu, National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education and Prof. Bashir Usman, Nomadic Education Commission.

The chief executives were appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari on August 1, 20216. They were sworn in by Education Minister Adamu Adamu on August 2, 2016 at the auditorium of the National Universities Commission (NUC).

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TECH DIGEST – President Muhammad Buhari has approved the establishment of a Federal University of Technology at Babura in Jigawa State.

TechDigest reports that this was contained in a letter sent to the Jigawa State Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, signed by the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu.

A statement issued on Tuesday by Special Adviser Media and Public Relations to the Governor, Habibu Nuhu Kila said in the letter, the minister requested for a provision of at least two alternate sites within Babura with a minimum land area of One Hundred hectares and adequately linked to essential infrastructures, such as access road, national power grid and proximity to a source of water.’

According to the statement, the technical team comprising officials from the Ministry of Education, National Universities Commission and other stakeholders will be visiting the state for on the spot assessment and consultation with the Jigawa state officials.

It added that the visit of the officials is to facilitate speedy implementation of the Federal University.

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TECH DIGEST – The Federal Government has announced the establishment of two additional universities of technology in Jigawa and Akwa Ibom, while also upgrading and equipping four others.

The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. Sonny Echono disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja on Monday.

Adamu said that a National Institute of Technology (NIT) would be established in Abuja to serve essentially as a postgraduate centre devoted to research and innovation.

According to him, this will draw the best graduates from the six universities of technology as well as other exceptional graduates from reputable universities within and outside Nigeria.

“Recall that at the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, he promised to establish an apex National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Abuja with six Satellite Universities of Technology, one in each geo-political zone of the country.

“This was captured in the 2015 APC Manifesto and also stressed in the Education for Change: Ministerial Strategic Plan 2018 – 2022 of the Ministry. The objective is to stimulate the rapid technological transformation of the country.

“After a comprehensive review of the policy by key stakeholders in the education sector, it was resolved that the four existing Universities of

Technology located in Yola (North East), Akure (South West), Owerri (South East), and Minna (North Central) be upgraded and equipped.

“While two additional Universities of Technology to be located in Jigawa and Akwa Ibom States, would be established for the purpose.

“Similarly, a National Institute of Technology (NIT) shall be established in Abuja. The institute shall be patterned after similar institutions in Singapore and Malaysia.

“This is to serve essentially as a postgraduate centre devoted to research and innovation, drawing the best graduates from the six Universities of Technology as well as other exceptional graduates from reputable universities within and outside Nigeria,” he said.

Adamu said that the president had also approved the phased development programme, compelled by the country’s lean resources.

He said that the two new Universities of Technology would be established in 2021, while the upgrade of the existing four Universities of Technology and the National Institute of Technology would come up in 2022.

Adamu said the president had also observed from the report of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the weak institutional capacity for disease control and surveillance in the country, particularly with respect to medical facilities, trained personnel and supporting infrastructure.

“With the recent establishment of the only Federal Government-owned University of Health Sciences, Otukpo in Benue State and the huge gap in doctor-patient ratio as well as in medical research and production of pharmaceutical products, the government recognised the compelling need to establish two other specialised universities in Health, Nutrition and Medical Sciences.

“These universities will be located at Azare, Bauchi State and Ila Orangun, Osun State. These shall lay a solid foundation for building national preparedness and resilience in anticipation of future challenges in the health sector, while reducing medical tourism to countries like India, UAE, Egypt, Europe and the U.S.”

Adamu said that the president had also approved a take-off grant of N4 billion each for the Universities of Technology and N5 billion each for the Universities of Health Science from the funding Resources of Tetfund.

He said that the ministry would collaborate with the Federal Ministries of Health, Science and Technology, Communications and Digital Economy, the FCT Administration as well as other relevant agencies and Institutions to facilitate speedy actualisation of these projects

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